Popular Sri Lankan YouTuber Sepal Amarasinghe was today ordered to be further remanded until January 17 after being produced before Colombo Chief Magistrate Prasanna Alwis.
The prosecution in the magisterial inquiry against Sepal Amarasinghe today alleged that the suspect is uploading controversial videos with the intention of generating income. Senior Deputy Solicitor Dileepa Pieris, appearing for the CID, said the suspect is earning Rs. 1.4 million on a monthly basis through YouTube.
Sepal Amarasinghe was arrested by CID for allegedly making disrespectful comments about the Temple of the Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa).
The prosecution further alleged that Sepala Amarasinghe, who has over 172,000 subscribers on Youtube, made a hate speech tantamount to hurting the sentiments of the Buddhist community.
However, the defence counsel appeared on behalf of the suspect and denied the allegations levelled by the prosecution.
The prosecution alleged that the suspect had committed punishable offences under the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act, the Antiquity Ordinance, and the Penal Code.
The order regarding the suspect’s bail application is to be delivered on the next hearing date.
