SC comes down on Veerappan’s links with secessionists

The remarks came during the hearing of a petition filed by a retired police officer Abdul Karim and PILs filed by B L Wadhera and others challenging the two state government’s decision to free 51 TADA detenues, associates of the brigand and whose release has been demanded by him to release Rajkumar.

The bench said “we will take into account the fact that Tamil Nadu has confirmed the association of Veerappan with secessionist elements”.

Referring to the dropping of TADA charges against Radio Venketeshan, a former Tamil Nadu Revolutionary Tigers terrorist, Wadhera said except for stating that there was a new change in situation and in public interest, the public prosecutor did not even set out the grounds in his application for the purpose.

The bench, agreed with Wadhera, and directed the designated court in Chennai to forthwith forward the records of the case pertaining to dropping of charges against radio Venketeshan to the apex court.

Meanwhile, uncertainity prevailed in Bangalore and Chennai over the expected release of Rajkumar.

In Bangalore, the actor’s son-in-law S A Govindaraj who was freed by the Veerappan yesterday said the brigand is firm that he will release Rajkumar only after Karnataka and Tamil Nadu Governments free the TADA detainees lodged in jails. “I am suffering from a heart ailment and blood pressure. Veerappan let me on seeing my condition. I have come with Dr Rajkumar’s permission. My father-in-law himself sent me. He has said he will come early. He has asked me to ensure that there is no trouble here,” Govindaraj told the media today.

After a discussion with Nakkeeran Gopal, P Nedumaran, Prof Kalyani and Sukumaran, Tamil Nadu Cheif Minister Karunanidhi said Veerappan has not put forward any new demands.

The emissaries, in a joint statment typed in the letter head of “Makkkal Urimai Kuutamaipu” (People’s Rights Federation) recently formed at the residence of Nedumaran, said their efforts to secure the release of the actor would continue. They said that the release of Govindaraj was agreed to by Veerappan after three days of negotiations. The mission was undertaken on humanitarian grounds and taking into consideration the interests of the Tamils living in Karnataka as well as the Kanndigas in Tamil Nadu, they said.