Madras HC to hear plea against Lankan minister

The Madras High Court is likely to hear a petition seeking the arrest of Sri Lankan Minister Douglas Devananda today, Indian media reported today.

Advocate P Pugalenthi, secretary of Tamil Nadu People’s Rights Forum, wants the Centre to arrest and prosecute Devananda, who was part of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s delegation that visited Indialast week.

He was declared a proclaimed offender and an absconder by a Chennai court for murder and rioting in Chennai in 1986.

He is alleged to have been involved in a shootout in which one person was killed. The Choolaimedu police registered a case in 1987 for offences under various sections of the IPC, including 302 (murder) and the Indian Arms Act. The Kodambakkam police had registered a case against Devananda in 1990 and then the an Additional Sessions Court in Chennai declared Devananda as an absconding accused.

According to Sri Lankan media reports, he is expected to claim amnesty under the Indo-Lanka peace accord for the alleged offences committed in 1986 in Tamil Nadu.

“I am not aware that I am a proclaimed offender. If informed legally about it, I will respond to the case. I have been coming to India for medical and personal reasons. The Indo-Sri Lanka accord of 1987 had pardoned several Tamil Sri Lankan,” Devananda had told CNN-IBN a few days back.

Devananda now enjoys diplomatic immunity in Indiasince he’s a state guest.

^ibnlive