By IANS,
New Delhi: A tribunal headed by a Delhi High Court judge Monday issued notices to Nagaland and Meghalaya on the central government’s plea seeking its nod to extend a ban by two more years on militant outfit United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA).
“Issue fresh notices to the states of Nagaland and Meghalaya through their chief secretaries and they be directed to file their affidavits,” said Justice Mukta Gupta.
The court fixed the matter for further hearing on Feb 14.
The tribunal was hearing the plea of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to seek its nod to extend the government’s notification, issued Nov 27, 2010, to extend the ban by two years on the militant outfit on the ground that it has, so far, not abjured violence.
The panel, meanwhile, took the affidavits of the MHA and Assam government into the records.
Justice Gupta said: “The evidence by way of affidavits should be filed by the parties concerned within a week so that the matter could be decided by the end of March.”
“There is nobody present on behalf of the ULFA. Thirty days time has to be given to the outfit to file their objection against the notification,” the panel said.
Additional solicitor general A.S. Chandiok, appearing for the centre, informed the panel that the notices have been published in various north-eastern states regarding the notification on extension of ban on ULFA.
Earlier, the panel issued notices to the various state governments and had also sought responses from the banned outfit on the centre’s notification.
The MHA, had decided to re-impose the ban on the ULFA as an unlawful organization on the ground that “the outfit is yet to abjure violence.”
The ban, which was slapped in accordance with the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, was first imposed in 1990. Since then, the order has been re-imposed every two years.
Recently, the outfit’s chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, foreign secretary Sasadhar Choudhury and finance secretary Chitraban Hazarika have been released from jail.