Chennai: R R Gopal, editor of Tamil bi-weekly 'Nakeeran', who has been charged with
sedition and under the Arms Act, was on April 16 brought under the provisions of
Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA).
The additional chief metropolitan magistrate D Ramabadaran endorsed an application
filed by the Crime Branch-Central Investigative Department (CID) to bring Gopal,
accused of having links with forest brigand Veerappan, under Section 4 (a) of the
Anti-Terrorist Act and transfer the case to a special court set up to hear offences
under POTA.
Gopal has been remanded to judicial custody till April 25 and he is the second
journalist to be brought under the purview of POTA after Iftikhar Geelani, who was
booked under the controversial POTA in Delhi. He was released later after the
government reviewed the case.
On April 12, fresh cases of sedition and murder, under the provision of Indian Penal
Code (IPC), had been registered against Gopal after an unlicenced revolver and a
pamphlet in support of the outlawed Tamil Nadu Liberation Army (TNLA) was allegedly
found on his person when the police searched him.
Besides the two new cases, Gopal is accused in 11 other cases were he has secured
bail.
He will also be taken to a Satyamangalam magistrate's court in Erode district for
remand in another case relating to the murder of one Rajamani about three years ago,
police added.
PTI
