High court to hear plea to arrest Sri Lankan minister
By IANSFriday, June 11, 2010
CHENNAI - The Madras High Court will Monday hear a petition urging the arrest of a Sri Lankan minister who has been declared a proclaimed offender under the Indian law.
The petition was filed by advocate P. Pugazhendhi against Sri Lankan Minister for Traditional Industries and Small Enterprises Douglas Devananda. It said a warrant was issued against Devananda by a court here in a murder case.
Chief Justice M.Y. Eqbal and Justice T.S. Sivagnanam Friday posted the petition for hearing Monday.
According to the petitioner, Devananda is wanted in a 1986 shootout and murder case here. One more case was lodged against him for kidnapping a boy in 1988. In 1989, he was arrested and later let out on bail.
A sessions court here declared Devananda a proclaimed offender in 1994 after he failed to appear in the court while on bail.
A former leader of the Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF), Devananda is on a four-day state visit to India accompanying the island nation’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Meanwhile, Chennai Police said they were waiting for a reply on their communication to Delhi Police that Devananda was a proclaimed offender.
