Latest news with #QBranch
The Hindu
5 days ago
- The Hindu
Sivaganga court awards life term for Maoist leader; he is taken back to a prison in Kerala under tight security
The Sivaganga Principal District Judge Arivoli directed Roopesh alias Praveen, 64, a prominent Maoist leader from Kerala, to undergo life term in prison and imposed ₹31,000 as fine here on Thursday. Amidst tight security, the Maoist leader was produced before the court by a special team of police personnel from Kerala. According to prosecution, the Q Branch police had arrested Roopesh in Coimbatore in 2015. At that time, the police had reportedly seized a large number of SIM cards from him. Discreet probe indicated that Roopesh had allegedly purchased a SIM card from an outlet in Kanniyakumari by falsely producing a ration card claiming to be that of a farmer from Idayan Valasai village in Sivaganga district in Tamil Nadu. The investigations then revealed that Roopesh had used the SIM for illegal purposes and abandoned it. Based on his 'confession', a case was registered. Then, he was detained in the Viyyur central prison, Thrissur in Kerala, police said. The case, which was being heard in the Sivaganga court, came up for hearing today. The Judge directed the accused to undergo life term in prison and also sentenced a fine of ₹31,000, said advocate Alagarsami, appearing for the government. Amidst tight security, the accused was brought from Kerala and after the judgement was pronounced, the armed police took him back in a waiting vehicle.
Hindustan Times
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
SC stays deportation of ex-LTTE member
The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the deportation of a Sri Lankan Tamil refugee, Bhaskaran Kumarasamy, a former member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who fled to India in 2004 during the final years of the country's civil war, citing a serious threat to his life if sent back. A bench of justices KV Viswanathan and N Kotiswar Singh passed the interim order (HT Photo) A bench of justices KV Viswanathan and N Kotiswar Singh passed the interim order while hearing Kumarasamy's plea challenging the Madras high court's decisions from 2021 and 2024 that upheld the Tamil Nadu government's decision to deport him. The bench sought a response from the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government on the current status of the man's deportation. 'Considering that the deportation order is five years and six months old, we would like to be apprised of the status of the deportation. Meanwhile, the deportation is stayed,' said the bench, posting the matter for further hearing on August 4. Kumarasamy's counsel urged the court to intervene, pointing out that his client was in danger of being killed upon his return to Sri Lanka and should be permitted to appear before the Swiss embassy in New Delhi to pursue a pending application for asylum. The court acknowledged the concern and also observed that Kumarasamy may explore the possibility of applying for Indian citizenship under the newly enacted Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), if eligible. Kumarasamy, a former cadre of the LTTE, fled from Jaffna's Nalloor area in 2004 with his wife Sakuntala and daughters, Sobana and Sobiha -- then aged eight and six. The family entered India through Rameswaram and were lodged at the Mandapam refugee camp in Tamil Nadu. Kumarasamy claims to have given up arms before leaving Sri Lanka. In 2019, the Tamil Nadu government issued a deportation order against him, and since then, he has been entangled in a prolonged legal battle to stay in India. The Madras high court initially stayed the deportation in August 2020, noting the credible threat to his life in Sri Lanka. 'For the past 13 years, he is in India. Moreover, his family members, father, brother, brother's wife and daughter, were reportedly murdered by the Sri Lankan army,' the court noted at the time, adding that deporting him would not serve the interests of justice. However, the high court reversed course in June 2021. Dismissing his plea to visit the Swiss embassy in Delhi to process his asylum request, the court held that Kumarasamy could no longer be considered a refugee under Indian law. It relied on the Tamil Nadau police's Q Branch's assertion that Sri Lanka was now safe for returnees and pointed out that Kumarasamy had briefly travelled to Sri Lanka in 2014 for eye surgery -- a fact that, according to the court, weakened his claim of a credible threat. Kumarasamy was also among 19 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees booked in 2016 by Tamil Nadu's Q Branch under multiple laws, including the Foreigners Act and other penal charges related to conspiracy, trafficking and cheating. He was arrested and moved from Bagayam refugee camp to the Tiruchirappalli special camp, and later to Puzhal central jail. Though he and the others were acquitted of all charges in 2019, Kumarasamy remained confined to the special camp in Tiruchirappalli. In 2020, he began the process of seeking asylum in Switzerland, where a sizeable diaspora of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees resides. According to Kumarasamy, the Swiss embassy in Delhi had asked him to appear for an interview as part of his application process. However, he was unable to obtain the necessary travel permission from the Tamil Nadu authorities. He claims that despite submitting official communication from the embassy, both the district collector of Tiruchirappalli and the local revenue inspector denied him permission to travel to Delhi. In February 2021, Kumarasamy filed a petition in the high court to be allowed to travel to Delhi. But in June that year, the court not only dismissed his plea but also agreed with the authorities' contention that he no longer qualified for refugee protections.
Hindustan Times
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
SC stays 2019 deportation order of Lankan Tamil refugee, asks govt for its stand
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the deportation of a Sri Lankan Tamil refugee, Bhaskaran Kumarasamy, a former member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who fled to India in 2004 during the final years of the country's civil war, citing a serious threat to his life if sent back. Bhaskaran Kumarasamy also asked the Supreme Court to let him appear before the Swiss embassy in New Delhi to pursue a pending asylum application (ANI) A bench of justices KV Viswanathan and N Kotiswar Singh passed the interim order while hearing Kumarasamy's plea challenging the Madras high court's decisions from 2021 and 2024 that upheld the Tamil Nadu government's decision to deport him. The bench has also sought a response from the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government on the current status of his deportation. 'Considering that the deportation order is five years and six months old, we would like to be apprised of the status of the deportation. Meanwhile, the deportation is stayed,' said the bench, posting the matter for further hearing on August 4. Kumarasamy's counsel urged the court to intervene, pointing out that his client could be killed upon his return to Sri Lanka and that he should be permitted to appear before the Swiss embassy in New Delhi to pursue a pending asylum application. The court acknowledged the concern and also observed that Kumarasamy may explore the possibility of applying for Indian citizenship under the newly enacted Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), if eligible. Kumarasamy, a former cadre of the LTTE, fled from Jaffna's Nalloor area in 2004 with his wife, Sakuntala and daughters, Sobana and Sobiha -- then aged eight and six. The family entered India through Rameswaram and was lodged at the Mandapam refugee camp in Tamil Nadu. Kumarasamy claims to have given up arms before leaving Sri Lanka. In 2019, the Tamil Nadu government issued a deportation order against him, and since then, he has been entangled in a prolonged legal battle to stay in India. The Madras high court initially stayed the deportation in August 2020, noting the credible threat to his life in Sri Lanka. 'For the past 13 years, he is in India. Moreover, his family members, father, brother, brother's wife and daughter, were reportedly murdered by the Sri Lankan Army,' the high court had noted at the time, adding that deporting him would not serve the interest of justice. However, the high court reversed course in June 2021. Dismissing his plea to visit the Swiss embassy in Delhi to process his asylum request, the court held that Kumarasamy could no longer be considered a refugee under Indian law. It relied on the Tamil Nadu police's Q Branch's assertion that Sri Lanka was now safe for returnees and pointed out that Kumarasamy briefly travelled to Sri Lanka in 2014 for eye surgery -- a fact that, according to the court, weakened his claim of credible threat. Kumarasamy was also among 19 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees booked in 2016 by Tamil Nadu's Q Branch under multiple laws, including the Foreigners Act and other penal charges related to conspiracy, trafficking and cheating. He was arrested and moved from Bagayam refugee camp to Tiruchirappalli Special Camp, and later to Puzhal Central Jail. Though he and the others were acquitted of all charges in 2019, Kumarasamy remained confined to the special camp in Trichy. In 2020, he began the process of seeking asylum in Switzerland, where a sizeable diaspora of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees resides. According to Kumarasamy, the Swiss embassy in Delhi had asked him to appear for an interview as part of his application process. However, he was unable to obtain the necessary travel permission from the Tamil Nadu authorities. He claims that despite submitting official communication from the embassy, both the district collector of Tiruchirappalli and the local revenue inspector denied him permission to travel to Delhi. In February 2021, Kumarasamy petitioned the Madras high court to be allowed to travel to Delhi. But in June that year, the court not only dismissed his plea but also agreed with the authorities' contention that he no longer qualified for refugee protections.
New Indian Express
20-06-2025
- New Indian Express
25 Bangladeshis arrested for staying with fake documents in Tamil Nadu
TIRUPPUR: Twenty-five Bangladeshi nationals were arrested from a textile export unit near Palladam in Tiruppur district on Wednesday night, for staying with fabricated documents. They were caught in a surprise joint operation led by a special team reporting to the district police superintendent, the Q Branch, and the Palladam police. Following the crackdown, all the 25 Bangladeshi nationals were handed over to Palladam police and arrested under the Foreigners Act. A police team, acting on a tip-off, rounded up the labourers at RM Nagar in Kunnagalpalayam near Palladam on Wednesday night. They were staying in row houses rented by one Poongodi, who usually rents houses to migrants working at knitwear units in the vicinity. Of them, 20 workers had joined the unit five months ago, and the remaining five had been in the export unit for the last three years, police said. We seized bogus documents from them. They had obtained Aadhaar cards by submitting fake documents and subsequently moved to Tiruppur, police added. The labourers were booked under Sections 3(2)(c) and 14 of the Foreigners Act. They will be remanded to the Puzhal prison in Chennai, police said. This is the second instance of a large number of Bangladeshi nationals being arrested in Tiruppur district this year. So far, 61 Bangladeshi nationals have been arrested from the Palladam police limits this year, according to the police.
The Hindu
19-06-2025
- The Hindu
26 Bangladeshi nationals employed in textile export unit in Tiruppur arrested for staying without necessary documents
Twenty six Bangladeshi nationals were arrested from a textile export unit near Palladam in Tiruppur district for staying without the necessary documents, in a surprise operation by a team of Q Branch police. Acting on a tip-off that Bangladeshi nationals were among the workforce mostly consisting of youths from states in Northern part of India, a team rounded up the labourers at the end of duty hours and handed them over to the Palladam police. Of them, 20 workers had joined work five months ago and the remaining six had been with the export unit for the last three years, police sources said, adding that more number of workers of Bangladesh origin were likely to be arrested. Bogus documents were seized from six workers. The arrest of the 26 workers was effected under the Foreigners Act of 1946. This is the second time a large number of Bangladeshi nationals were arrested in Tiruppur district this year. In an operation by the jurisdictional police and Coimbatore unit of Anti-Terrorist Squad during January, 31 Bangladeshi nationals were arrested - 28 from Palladam limits, and the rest from the limits of Veerapandi and Nallur police stations.
