Chennai: The Madras High Court on Tuesday
declined to interfere with an order of a tribunal, set up to
adjudicate whether there was sufficient cause to declare LTTE
an unlawful association.
"The impugned order passed by the Tribunal needs no
interference by this court," a Division Bench comprising Chief
Justice M Y Eqbal and Justice T S Sivagnanam held, rejecting
an application by a pro-LTTE forum to appear before the
tribunal.
The Bench dismissed a writ petition filed by P
Pugalenthi, coordination secretary of Tamil Nadu People's
Right Forum challenging the October 6 order passed by The
Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal.
The judges pointed out the tribunal had given full
opportunity to the aggrieved and heard the parties.
"Therefore in our view the petition filed by the
petitioner before the Tribunal has rightly been rejected by
the tribunal."
In its order, the Tribunal had stated that the address
given by the Forum was incomplete in material facts. The
address was merely shown as No 5, 4th Floor, Chennai.
Besides, the order said the application forwarded by
the forum, an unrecognised association, was not supported by
any affidavit.
Stating 'if this tribunal is to entertain petitions of
this nature, the proceedings will be unduly and unjustifiably
protracted', the tribunal had pointed out that none of the
submissions made by the forum travelled beyond the arguments
of MDMK leader Vaiko before it.
"In order to avoid prolixity, the tribunal thinks it
sufficient to refer and rely on the previous orders passed on
September 25," the tribunal said.
Counsel for the Forum, M Radhakrishnan, argued that
LTTE was not present in India, but only its sympathisers,
supporters and agents.
Hence notices under Sec 4 (2) of 'The Unlawful
Activities (Prevention) Act should not only have been sent to
LTTE in the island nation, but also to the sympathisers,
supporters and agents in the country, Radhakrishnan contended.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 21:24