NEW DELHI India's Supreme Court on Tuesday put off until October a hearing of petitions opposing the release of dozens of allies of a jungle bandit, who is demanding their freedom in return for a film star he kidnaped in July. The court set October 11 for hearing a bunch of petitions because many documents relating to dropping of charges against the prisoners were not ready, said lawyer B.L. Wadehra, who is opposing their release from jail.
"All parties have to file documents by October 9, it will finally be heard on 11th," he said. The provincial governments of the southern states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu had sought an early hearing of the petitions to secure the release of local movie icon Rajkumar. Koose Muniswamy Veerappan, India's most wanted outlaw who is charged with 120 killings, abducted the Karnataka State cult figure from a remote farmhouse in neighboring Tamil Nadu on July 30. Following lengthy negotiations conducted through an emissary the two states bowed to the bandits' demands and agreed to release 56 imprisoned allies of Veerappan in exchange for Rajkumar's freedom.
But that strategy came unstuck after the Supreme Court blocked the release of the prisoners following a petition by the father of a Karnataka police inspector who was killed in an encounter with Veerappan's gang in 1992. Indian newspapers said on Tuesday that Emissary R.R. Gopal was likely to return to the forests where Veerappan is holed up with Rajumar and three other hostages to resume negotiations.
(Reuter)