BANGALORE: The Karnataka Government is likely to request the High Court to transfer the trial of cases against 12 Tamil activists, who are facing charges of secession, to a special court at the open-air jail at Parappana Agrahara on the outskirts of Bangalore.

The transfer is being sought for security reasons, and the police have already sounded out the Government on the issue. The trial against the accused, who are lodged in the Central Prison, is likely to begin shortly in the Court of the Principal District Civil and Sessions Judge here. Principal District and Civil Judge Arali Nagaraj has framed the charges against two Tamil activists and posted the case to Friday.

He has also framed charges against nine others.

Charges framed in 2003

Nedunchezhian, a professor from Tanjore University, and 11 others were charged with criminal conspiracy by the Frazer Town police in 2003.

According to the police, they had drawn up a plan to wage war against the State.

Late Vijay Murthy was the first accused in the case, and Prof. Nedunchezhian was made accused no. 12. The trial court framed nine charges against Prof. Nedunchezhian.

When the charges were read out, it was stated that he had allegedly agreed to extend support to leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) V. Prabhakaran.

Explosives

It was said the accused had procured gelatine sticks, detonators and fuse wires with a view to causing destruction.

The Sessions Court is likely to fix the date of commencement of trial on Friday.

The police do not want the trial to be conducted in the Civil and Sessions Court complex where Mr. Nagaraj and other sessions judges are seated.

The police say it will be a security risk to take the accused to the crowded court complex, located in the heart of the city, as some of them allegedly have links with the LTTE.

Transfer sought

The police say they have requested the Government to shift the trial to one of the two special courts on the prison premises or constitute a special court inside the prison.

The trial in this case has to be completed within six months following a High Court direction sometime ago. According to the chargesheet filed by the Frazer Town police, the accused, including Prof. Nedunchezhian, hatched a conspiracy against Karnataka and to create a Tamil nation, between 1996 and 2002.

Military training

It said a few of them had obtained military training from the LTTE.

The alleged conspiracy came to light after two of the accused were arrested near the Banaswadi railway station on November 11, 2002.

Aluminium pipe bombs and hand grenades were seized from them.

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