The Kerala High Court has granted bail to an alleged Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) operative accused of trying to revive the unit to wage war against Sri Lanka.
While setting aside the order of the special court which rejected Satgunam’s bail plea, Division Bench Judge Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice PV Balakrishnan on Wednesday allowed his bail appeal citing his prolonged imprisonment and his constitutional right to speedy trial as envisaged in Article 21 of the Constitution of India. The petitioner is a Sri Lankan citizen who was staying in Chennai as a refugee. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) accused him of conspiring to revive a banned organization and wage war against Sri Lanka. For this he was charged under several provisions of IPC and UAPA to name a few. The agency alleged that he conspired in narcotics and arms trafficking to revive the organization.
The court noted that the petitioner had been in custody since October 2021, while a status report from the trial court indicated that the trial was unlikely to begin before January 2027. While allowing his bail plea, the court said he should obtain prior permission from the special court to leave Kerala and had to surrender his passport. He also directed that he use a mobile number accessible to the NIA.
Published – 25 Feb 2026 20:59 IST
