Supreme Court refuses to ban training of Sri Lankan defence personnel

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today refused to restrain the Centre from training Sri Lankan armed forces saying it is a policy matter of the government and it cannot interfere with it.

A bench headed by justice Aftab Alam refused to entertain a petition seeking its direction to Centre not to provide training facilities to Sri Lankan armed forces in the country.

The bench dismissed the petition terming it as “misconceived.”

Petition was filed by one N Raja Raman who had approached the apex court after there were some protests from a section of the public, including politicians, against training of Sri Lankan army in India.

In August, Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa has requested PM Manmohan Singh to instruct the defence ministry to immediately halt the training being given to the two Lankan defence personnel and send them back to Sri Lanka immediately.

Jayalalithaa had in July strongly opposed the training being given to nine Lankan defence personnel after which they were relocated to the Yelahanka air station at Bangalore.

She had insisted that they should not be trained anywhere in India, saying the desire of Tamil people was to see those (Sri Lankan defence forces) charged with war crimes (during the last leg of the ‘Eelam’ war) being punished.

 

Source: India Times