HC grants bail to Lankan national in NIA terror case

Kochi: Kerala High Court has granted bail to Satkunam alias Sabesan, a Sri Lankan national allegedly linked to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who was arrested in 2021 in a case probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on charges of conspiring to revive the banned outfit and further its activities in India and Sri Lanka.A bench of Justices Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikary and P V Balakrishnan observed that the trial was unlikely to be completed in the near future and allowed his bail plea. The court ordered his release on executing a bond of Rs 1 lakh with two solvent sureties for an equal amount each, to the satisfaction of the special court for the trial of NIA cases, Ernakulam. It also clarified that the special court may impose additional conditions, including restricting his travel outside Kerala without prior permission.Sabesan faces charges under various sections of the IPC for criminal conspiracy and sale of prohibited arms and ammunition, provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for supporting a terrorist organisation, and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. He was arrested following the seizure of contraband, arms and ammunition from a Sri Lankan boat off the Lakshadweep coast.According to the NIA, Sabesan was an armed cadre of the LTTE and part of the outer security wing of its leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. After the outfit's defeat in Sri Lanka, he allegedly arrived in Chennai as a refugee and later took part in conspiracy meetings in Tamil Nadu aimed at reviving the LTTE and waging war against Sri Lanka. The agency further alleged that he was involved in trafficking contraband and arms to raise funds for the organisation and carry out terrorist acts.The court noted that Sabesan was in custody for four years and that the trial was likely to commence only in Jan 2027. It recorded that 209 witnesses were cited and 446 documents were to be marked, and that a report from the trial court indicated that the proceedings were unlikely to begin and conclude in the near future.