Lankan Buddhist monks in court accused of insulting Quran

COLOMBO, May 5 (AFP): Four of Sri Lanka's most senior hardline Buddhist monks appeared in court Monday accused of insulting the Quran, in the first such case following a spate of religious hate attacks.

Police accused the monks, from the nationalist Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), or Buddhist Force, of making disparaging remarks against the Islamic holy book after bursting into a meeting of religious leaders last month.

At the meeting, the monks also intimidated a moderate colleague who was promoting religious tolerance on the Buddhist-majority island, police said.

"The four priests along with two laymen were summoned by court today and granted bail in the sum of 100,000 rupees ($770) each," police spokesman Ajith Rohana told AFP.

"The magistrate warned them not to indulge in such activities. We will file formal charges when the case is called again next month."

BBS leader Galagodaatte Gnanasara said that he and the three other monks were not guilty of any offence.

"We wanted to plead not guilty, but we had no opportunity to speak in court. We are told a hearing will be on June 9th," he told AFP on Monday.

Authorities are attempting to crack down on hate crimes following attacks blamed on monk-led mobs last year and early this year on Muslim-owned shops, a mosque and a Christian prayer centre.