HC to seek Centre's nod to arrest Lankan minister Devananda

The Madras High court is expected to take up a petition seeking a direction to the Centre for the arrest of Douglas Devananda, Lankan minister for traditional industries and small enterprises, for his involvement in the November 1986 murder case in Chennai. The petition was filed by P Pugalenthi, secretary of Tamil Nadu People's Rights Forum, a pro-Sri Lankan Tamils body. The Lankan minister is part of Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajpaksa's delegation to India, but Devananda's has come under controversy following reports that he is a proclaimed offender in India. However, the minister maintains that he had been pardoned under the Indo-Sri Lanka Peace Accord of 1987.