Pota panel's posers for TN on Vaiko, Gopal

NEW DELHI: The Pota review committee on Thursday issued notice to the Tamil Nadu government asking it to explain whether the arrests of MDMK leader Vaiko and Nakkeeran editor R R Gopal were fit cases under the dreaded law.
The notice was issued after four meetings of the committee spread over two days. The committee gave the state government time till December 2 to come up with the relevant material in the two cases.
The Supreme Court, it may be mentioned, has reserved its judgment on a petition challenging the arrest of Vaiko and Gopal.
Head of the committee, Justice A B Saharya, while refusing to comment if the arrest of Vaiko, now in prison for more than a year, and Gopal was a fit case, told reporters that nine notices would be sent to the TN government in the Vaiko case since the FIR is against nine persons.
What if the state government, which has so far not responded, does not reply? "We would proceed with the available material," Saharya said adding notice has gone after the committee examined Vaiko''s speech and posters which formed the basis for his arrest.
What more is the committee looking for? "Apart from other things, we would also like to see the police diary," Saharya said.