LTTE: Tribunal seeks Centre, state stand on hearing Vaiko

Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal, who is heading the tribunal, issued notice to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Tamil Nadu government seeking their stand on the plea of Vaiko who is a sympathiser of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Justice Dhingra also asked the Ministry and the state to provide her the details of security arrangements for her since she was headingthe tribunal.

The Union government’s standing counsel, Ajay Digpaul, told the judge that she would be provided security cover from July 29 and that he will submit the details.

India had banned the LTTE after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. Since then the ban imposed on the group has been extended after every five years. During the brief proceedings, Vaiko told the judge that since 2010, he has been allowed to participate in the proceedings before the tribunal regarding the ban on the terror organisation, which had suffered a military defeat in May 2009 in Sri Lanka.

The MHA had on May 14 extended for five more years the ban on LTTE. The last time it was banned for five years was in 2014.

Vaiko said he was currently out on bail on sedition charges and urged the tribunal to hear him before deciding to extend the ban on the organisation.

The tribunal said it will take up his application for impleading in the matter between August 16-18 in Chennai where the proceedings are slated to be held next.