MDMK chief Vaiko surrenders in sedition case, sent to jail

CHENNAI: MDMK chief Vaiko was today remanded in judicial custody for 15 days after he surrendered before a court here in an eight-year-old sedition case and refused to seek bail.

Vaiko appeared before Metropolitan Magistrate S Gopinathan and submitted a surrender petition to the court for his alleged role in the sedition case lodged against him for making a speech at a function here in 2009.

In his speech, he had allegedly made critical references to the central government vis-a-vis the then Sri Lankan civil war.

Vaiko's decision to surrender before the court and his refusal to seek the took everybody by surprise.

Though the magistrate offered to release Vaiko on bail, he refused to apply for it. Hence, the magistrate passed an order remanding him in judicial custody.

Vaiko was later taken to Central Prison at Puzhal and was lodged there, the police said.

The police had registered a case of sedition under section 124 (A) of the Indian Penal Code against Vaiko for the speech he made in a function organised to release his book 'Naan Kutram Sattugiren' (I am Making the Accusation) in 2009.

According to police, Vaiko, a sympathiser of banned LTTE, allegedly spoke infringing the Indian sovereignty and a chargesheet was filed in 2010.

However, the trial was yet to commence in the case.

MDMK advocate Nanmaran said despite several efforts made by Vaiko to get the trial commenced, neither the police nor the prosecution had shown interest in it and hence their leader surrendered today.