Chennai, Aug 22: A special court, trying Pota cases, today extended till September 18, the remand period of Tamil magazine 'Nakkeeran' editor R R Gopal, detained under the Anti-Terror Act. When he was produced before Pota judge L Rajendran, special public prosecutor S Jayakumar filed the remand extension report and said the investigation was yet to be completed.

The report contained the aspects of the investigation that had been completed and what remained to be completed. To a question posed by the judge, Jayakumar said Gopal had completed 132 days in custody and the prosecution had another 48 days time to file the chargesheet, which should be done within 180 days from the date of the arrest under the act.

Steps were yet to be taken to get the apex court order, prohibiting the prosecution from filing the final report till further orders, vacated to enable them to file the chargesheet. Since the embargo on filing the chargesheet continued, the judge said he was extending the remand of Gopal on the strength of the report filed by the prosecutor.

It may be recalled that Gopal was arrested by the special investigating cell of the CB-CID police on April 11 last and was charged with sedition for allegedly conspiring with forest brigand Veerappan and Tamil extremist groups to create a separate Tamil nation.

Gopal was charged under Sec 124-A of the IPC (sedition), and under Sec 25(1-b)(a) of the arms act, 1959, for possessing an unlicenced revolver at the time of arrest. He was subsequently detained under the Pota. Bureau Report