Special tribunal in India extends ban on LTTE by two years

NEW DELHI: A special tribunal headed by a Delhi High Court judge yesterday upheld the Centre’s notification for extending the ban on LTTE for another two years.

The notification extending the ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, declaring it as an unlawful association, was issued by the Union Home Ministry on May 15.

Justice Vikramjeet Sen, who was heading the special tribunal constituted under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, upheld the Government decision saying that there is sufficient evidence against the organisation to justify the extension of ban. The group-led by V Prabhakaran has been proscribed as a terrorist organisation by several countries including the United States.

The LTTE was involved in the assassination of former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in May 1991 and the group has been banned by India since 1992.

Additional Solicitor General P P Malhotra, while appearing before the tribunal, had contended that although the LTTE was based in Sri Lanka, it had sympathizers and agents on the Indian soil and there was urgent need to continue with the ban. PTI