After Ban, UAPA Tribunal Asks LTTE To Explain Why It Should Not Be Declared Unlawful

The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal has issued a notice to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), requiring them to explain why they should not be declared unlawful, as per a report by The Hindu.

This notice follows a notification issued a month ago by the Union government, which banned the LTTE because the organisation was still engaging in activities detrimental to the integrity and security of the country.

On 5 June 2024, the Union government established the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal under Section 5 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967. The tribunal, headed by Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora of the Delhi High Court, was tasked with determining if there was sufficient cause to declare the LTTE an unlawful association.

Consequently, the tribunal issued a notice to the LTTE on 14 June 2024, requiring them to respond within 30 days, explaining why the organisation should not be declared unlawful and why the government’s declaration should not be confirmed. The LTTE was also given the option to appear before the tribunal in New Delhi on 23 July 2024, represented by a duly authorised counsel/advocate.

The government of Tamil Nadu had also notified the ban on the LTTE on 18 May 2024. The notification stated that even after its military defeat in May 2009 in Sri Lanka, the LTTE had not abandoned the concept of ‘Eelam’ and continued to work towards the cause by engaging in fundraising and propaganda activities.

According to the notification, “Pro-LTTE groups/elements continue to foster a separatist tendency among the masses and enhance the support base for the LTTE in India, particularly in Tamil Nadu, which will ultimately have a strong disintegrating influence over the territorial integrity of India.”

It added that LTTE sympathisers living abroad continued to spread anti-India propaganda among Tamils, blaming the government of India for the defeat of the LTTE. If unchecked, this could foster a sense of hatred among the Tamil populace towards the central government and the Indian Constitution.