Tribunal notice to Centre, TN over Vaiko's application to implead on LTTE ban

A special tribunal on Friday issued a notice to the Centre and Tamil Nadu state government on the application of MDMK General Secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Vaiko seeking to implead in the proceedings on whether Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) should be banned.

The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act Tribunal slated the matter for hearing on August 16, 17 and 18 in Chennai.

"I had filed my petition to implead in 2010. I appeared in all the hearings in 2014. I am a supporter of LTTE and have also served 19 months imprisonment in Vellore jail. I was convicted for supporting a statement by LTTE," Vaiko said.

Appearing for the Centre, Advocate Ajay Digpaul, filed an affidavit along with an Information Bureau report in the proceedings on whether to ban LTTE and said that the notices have been published in 59 newspapers in India and Sri Lanka.

Tamil Nadu government also told the tribunal that they have filed the affidavit which has been published in vernacular and English newspapers of Tamil Nadu and aired on Doordarshan and AIR.

The central government has recently formed a UAPA tribunal and appointed Delhi HC judge Sangeeta Dhingra Sehgal to hold proceedings.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is a militant group, which was also involved in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi during an election rally in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu.