New Delhi: The central POTA (Prevention of Terrorism Act) review committee today (Feb 19, 204) decided to split the hearing of the case registered against MDMK (Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) chief Vaiko and Nakkeeran weekly editor R Gopal by Tamil Nadu Government under the tough anti-terrorism law.

The case against Vaiko and Gopal, which was heard together till now, will now be taken up separately, committee chairperson Justice Arun B Saharya said at a specially set up court room in the high-security Vigyan Bhavan annexe.

The committee fixed February 24 as the date for the final hearing of the case against Vaiko after recording Tamil Nadu Government's reply and that the State had furnished the documents in the case. The committee said it would hear the case against Vaiko on a day-to-day basis.

But regarding the case against Gopal, since the Tamil Nadu Government has not yet filed the chargesheet, the committee said it would fix a date for further directions only after the State submits the secret documents.

On February 16, Tamil Nadu submitted relevant documents in the case against Vaiko, in a significant climb down after earlier objecting that POTA review committee did not have jurisdiction to go into the detention of Vaiko and Gopal under POTA. On January 23, the committee had rejected the preliminary objections raised by Tamil Nadu that it (the committee) did not have any jurisdiction to go into the matter.

The committee today also took note of the February 17 order of the Supreme Court directing that it (the committee) should not pass any final order on the cases registered by Tamil Nadu Government against Vaiko, Gopal and eight others petition ahead of its hearing before the apex court on March 8.