UAPA tribunal to review ban extension on LTTE

New Delhi [India], June 6 : Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora of Delhi High Court will head the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) Tribunal for the purpose of adjudicating whether or not there is sufficient cause for declaring the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as an unlawful association.
The Tribunal will review the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) decision on extending the ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for another five years as an unlawful association.
A notification issued on June 5, stated that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has been declared as an unlawful association.
"Now, therefore, in the exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 5 read with sub-section (1) of section 4 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967), the Central Government hereby constitutes the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal, consisting of Ms. Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, Judge, High Court of Delhi, for the purpose of adjudicating whether or not there is sufficient cause for declaring the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as an unlawful association," the notification read.
On May 14, Centre decided to extend the ban imposed on the LTTE by five more years for fostering a separatist tendency amongst the masses and enhancing the support base for it in the country, particularly in Tamil Nadu, besides threatening the territorial integrity of India.
The notification issued stated that even after its military defeat in May 2009 in Sri Lanka, LTTE has not abandoned the concept of 'Eelam' and has been clandestinely working towards the 'Eelam' cause by undertaking fundraising and propaganda activities and the remnant LTTE leaders or cadres have also initiated efforts to regroup the scattered activists and resurrect the outfit locally and internationally.
"The pro-LTTE groups/elements continue to foster a separatist tendency amongst the masses and enhance the support base for LTTE in India particularly in Tamil Nadu, which will ultimately have a strong disintegrating influence over the territorial integrity of India. The LTTE sympathizers living abroad continue to spread anti-India propaganda among Tamils holding the Government of India responsible for the defeat of the LTTE, which, if not checked, is likely to develop a sense of hate among the Tamil population towards the Central Government and the Indian Constitution," the notification read.