Indian police oppose Devananda’s bail plea

Indian police have opposed the anticipatory bail plea of Sri Lankan minister Douglas Devananda, saying he continued to be a proclaimed offender and that a non-bailable arrest warrant was still pending against him.

Justice KN Basha of the Madras high court, before whom the matter came up for hearing on Monday, recused himself from the case and asked the registry to place the matter before the Chief Justice for being posted to some other judge.

Douglas Devananda, now a cabinet minister in Sri Lanka, figured among the 10 accused named by the Choolaimedu police in a murder case. According to the police, a group of Sri Lankan militants staying in the area quarrelled with the locals. In a fit of rage, one of the militants opened fire, killing one Thirunavukkarasu and injuring two others.

All the 10 were arrested by the city police and a chargesheet too was filed in the case. After obtaining bail, however, all of them fled the country and the case is still pending on the files of the IV additional sessions court here. In 1994, the court declared Douglas a proclaimed offender and issued an arrest warrant.

As a minister in the Mahinda Rajapaksa government, Douglas was part of the Sri Lankan presidential delegation which met the prime minister and others in New Delhi last year and the revelation that he was still a proclaimed offender created a furore.

Douglas then moved the high court, seeking to quash the criminal case against him. Refusing to quash the case, the court asked him to file an anticipatory bail and then approach the sessions court for recalling the arrest warrant.

In his petition, Douglas reiterated his known stand that he did not appear in court because he was under the impression that all cases pending against Sri Lankan Tamil militants had lapsed after India and Sri Lanka signed an agreement in 1987.

Countering his claim and opposing anticipatory bail to him, the city police told the court that Douglas and his accomplices had been evading court appearance since 1994 and that the arrest warrant was still pending against him. It wanted the high court to dismiss Douglas’ anticipatory bail plea, Times of India reports.