Date:19/07/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/07/19/stories/2005071906111200.htm

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Supreme Court stays deportation of two Sri Lankan Tamils

Legal Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday stayed for two weeks the deportation of two Sri Lankan Tamils, alleged to be associates of the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case accused. They have been kept in a special camp at Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu.

A Bench consisting of Justice Ashok Bhan and Justice S.B. Sinha, staying the operation of a Madras High Court judgment directing their deportation, told Solicitor-General G.E. Vahanvati that it would not give the Multi Disciplinary Monitoring Agency of the Central Bureau of Investigation unlimited time to conduct its investigation against Vasanthan and Lingam.

The Solicitor-General said the Government had sent a Letter Rogatory to the Sri Lankan authorities, asking them to investigate the antecedents of the two. But there was no response.

The Bench asked, "How long will you keep them? If they do not respond, can they be kept forever here?" The Solicitor-General said he would get back to the court with specific information from the External Affairs Ministry on the time to be taken for completing the probe.

"We cannot keep them in custody forever only because of suspicion," the Bench said and adjourned the hearing to August 1.