{"id":71609,"date":"2021-01-28T18:30:56","date_gmt":"2021-01-28T23:30:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=71609"},"modified":"2021-01-30T19:49:46","modified_gmt":"2021-01-31T00:49:46","slug":"pillayan-out-ranjan-in-arrest-and-release-of-tmvp-leader-sivanesathurai-chandrakanthan-alias-pillayan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=71609","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Pillayan Out. Ranjan In&#8221;: Arrest and Release of TMVP Leader Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan Alias &#8220;Pillayan&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>By<br \/>\nD.B.S.Jeyaraj<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>On January 12th 2021, a three judge bench of the Supreme Court imposed a sentence of four years rigorous imprisonment on Sadda Vidda Rajapakse Palanga Pathira Ambakumarage Ranjan Leo Sylvester Alphonsu alias Ranjan Ramanayake finding him guilty of the offence of Contempt of court.  Prior to  being taken away in a prisons dept vehicle  to jail, the  film actor cum Parliamentarian   made an interesting comment to  media  representatives. Ranjan Ramanayake said that \u201che had not committed murder or theft, but he had been sentenced to jail while MP \u2018Pillayan\u2019 was being released\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/2CF793A9-D412-4C84-9519-FA26BA11470F.jpeg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/2CF793A9-D412-4C84-9519-FA26BA11470F-600x360.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"360\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-71605\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/2CF793A9-D412-4C84-9519-FA26BA11470F-600x360.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/2CF793A9-D412-4C84-9519-FA26BA11470F-300x180.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/2CF793A9-D412-4C84-9519-FA26BA11470F.jpeg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a> <\/p>\n<p>The  reference was to the acquittal of Batticaloa District Parliamentarian Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias \u201cPillayan\u201d from charges related to the murder of former  Tamil National Alliance MP Joseph Pararajasingham. The Tamil Makkal Viduthalip Puligal(TMVP) leader together with four others had been indicted  over the brutal assassination which  happened fifteen years ago.  On Jan 11th the A -G \u2018s decision of a \u201cNolle Prosequi\u201d was conveyed to court. It was obvious that Pillayan was going to be acquitted. Ranjan  contrasted his incarceration with that of  Pillayan\u2019s impending acquittal  with the pithy observation \u201cPillayan out.Ranjan in\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p> It was soon picked up widely by the media and social media. \u201cPillayan out, Ranjan in\u201d was the theme of many cartoons ,tweets and posts. Even some opposition politicians repeated it. Some questioned the Rajapaksa regime\u2019s professed credo of \u201cOne  Country, One Law\u201d. It was being inferred indirectly  that a travesty of justice had allegedly occurred as  Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan was being acquitted of murder charges while Ranjan Ramanayake was being convicted for contempt of court.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cOne Shot\u201d Ranjan Ramanayake<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Popular cinema hero cum politico  Ranjan Ramanayake, known widely as \u201cGun Shot\u201d has for long been  a darling of the Sri  Lankan masses. In a Quixotic extension of his screen persona, Ranjan has engaged in many unorthodox initiatives  claiming to combat corruption.There are many including this writer who are saddned by  the  sentence imposed on this impish personality. However the fact remains that Ranjan  was convicted after a free and fair trial where he was defended by eminent legal eagles. The 21 page judgement delivered  by three respected Supreme Court Judges is  very clear about the reasons leading to their verdict. One may opine that the Apex court could have been more merciful in stipulating  the jail term duration but disputing  or faulting the stated  reasoning behind that ruling could prove problematic.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_71610\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/317541D5-3C0E-4CE1-8D61-9BDCA2F83860.jpeg\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-71610\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/317541D5-3C0E-4CE1-8D61-9BDCA2F83860-300x260.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"260\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-71610\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/317541D5-3C0E-4CE1-8D61-9BDCA2F83860-300x260.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/317541D5-3C0E-4CE1-8D61-9BDCA2F83860-600x519.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/317541D5-3C0E-4CE1-8D61-9BDCA2F83860.jpeg 655w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-71610\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ranjan Ramanayake<\/p><\/div>\n<p>On the  other hand the arrest, detention, release and acquittal of former Eastern province chief minister and current  Batticaloa MP Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan is a more complex issue with deeper ramifications. Provisions of the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act(PTA) were used to imprison Pillayan. He  was in jail for over five years as he was not granted bail until very recently. There is no valid comparison between the Pillayan murder case and  the Ranjan Ramanayake contempt case and their respective fates.<\/p>\n<p>What then are the underlying circumstances in the Joseph Pararajasingham murder case and what was the alleged involvement of TMVP leader Sivanesathurai  Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan in the matter? How and why was Pillayan arrested, detained and now acquitted? Why was he incarcerated for five long years and now released for want of evidence?  It is against the backdrop of these questions that this column focuses  on the Pillayan acquittal this week.<\/p>\n<p>Former Journalist and entrepreneur Joseph Pararajasingham  became an MP representing Batticaloa District in 1991. He remained an MP continuously  for 14 years until his demise in 2005. The  Liberation Tigers of Eelam (LTTE) eastern military commander  Vinayagamoorthy Muraleetharan alias \u201cCol\u201dKaruna revolted against Veluppillai Prabhakaran\u2019s leadership in 2004.Among the prominent politicians of Batticaloa, it was Joseph alone who spoke out against Karuna immediately after the split. Joseph was a marked man by Karuna after that. Realising he was a target, Joseph avoided coming to Batticaloa unnecessarily for many months. Yet he did come to Batticaloa weeks before Christmas in 2005  with the intention of stayingon till New Year.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Joseph Pararajasingham Shot Dead<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>71 year old parliamentarian Joseph Pararajasingham  was shot dead at the St. Mary\u2019s Cathedral in Batticaloa around 1.10 am on December 25th 2005.Pararajasingham was attending the Christmas midnight mass conducted by Bishop Kingsley Swampillai, the Catholic prelate for the Trincomalee -Batticaloa Diocese. He was returning to his pew after partaking of Holy Communion at the hands of the Bishop when two assassins walked forward and opened fire. While Joseph was killed his wife Sugunam and seven others were injured in the firing.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_71606\" style=\"width: 228px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/B7B21F1E-C15C-4C5C-AF53-625C1ADD67AC.jpeg\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-71606\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/B7B21F1E-C15C-4C5C-AF53-625C1ADD67AC.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"218\" height=\"150\" class=\"size-full wp-image-71606\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-71606\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Joseph Pararajasingham<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Mahinda Rajapaksa  was then the newly elected president of Sri Lanka.   There was very little progress in the investigations into  Joseph Pararajasingham\u2019s murder for almost 10 years during Rajapaksa rule.  The motions of an investigation were conducted  lackadaisically for a while and then the probe   came to a stop. Things began changing  after the  Government of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe came into being in 2015. Some of the investigations shelved during the Rajapaksa regime were reactivated. The CID began pursuing a number of cases that had been put into cold storage including the Joseph assassination case.<\/p>\n<p>On 4 October 2015 a team of CID officials led by Chief Inspector Ravindra Wimalasiri arrested two stalwarts of the Thamil Makkal Viduthalip Puligal (TMVP) namely Edwin Silva Krishnanandaraja alias Pradeep Master and Rangasami Kanaganayagam alias \u2018Gajan Maamaa\u2019in Batticaloa. Pradeep Master was the District Coordinator of the TMVP in Batticaloa. The TMVP was the political organisation founded by former LTTE Eastern warlord \u201cCol\u201d Karuna after he broke away from the LTTE in 2004.<\/p>\n<p>The TMVP was officially led by \u201cCol\u201d Karuna. However in the absence caused by Karuna\u2019s clandestine sojourn in India and Nepal, his Deputy Leader Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias \u201cPillayan\u201d ran the show in the east.Pillayan was in charge of the TMVP  at the time of Joseph\u2019s assassination.  He was the de-facto chief  of the TMVP while the de-jure leader Karuna was away.<\/p>\n<p>Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan hailing from the Pethalai village in Batticaloa district was born on August 18th 1975. He had his primary education  at Vipulananda Vidyalayam in Pethalai and secondary education at Valaicchenai Hindu college. Chandrakanthan known as Chandra to family and friends joined the LTTE in 1991 at the age of 15 What impelled Chandrakanthan  to do so was  an ugly incident in which some security personnel brutally  assaulted and hospitalised  his  favourite cousin. Feeling helpless at being unable to prevent the assault,  Chandrakanthan voluntarily joined the LTTE as a child soldier.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How \u201cPillayan\u201d Got His name<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Chandrakanthan known as Chandra was initially  given the nom de guerre \u201cKuberan\u201d by the LTTE. However he soon became known as Pillayan. What happened was that Chandrakanthan alias Kuberan was housed at a training camp with 39 other new recruits  in the jungles of Vadamunai in the Batticaloa district. He was  the youngest in the batch of 40. Chandrakanthan was quite chubby in those days. One of the trainers Karunakaran  began teasing him saying  he was a \u201cKundan\u201d(fatty) who resembled a baby elephant. Karunakaran  also dubbed him as \u201cPillayar\u201d(the elephant &#8211; faced God Ganesh or Ganapathy). The name caught on with a slight change.Instead of being called Pillayar, he became known as Pillayan which also means child. This was how \u201cPillayan\u201d got his name<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_71607\" style=\"width: 150px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/285A9924-C34F-4295-84F1-8F8F9D6EEFA4.jpeg\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-71607\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/285A9924-C34F-4295-84F1-8F8F9D6EEFA4-140x300.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"140\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-71607\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/285A9924-C34F-4295-84F1-8F8F9D6EEFA4-140x300.jpeg 140w, https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/285A9924-C34F-4295-84F1-8F8F9D6EEFA4.jpeg 201w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 140px) 100vw, 140px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-71607\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan participated in several LTTE operations in the East and Wanni but did not distinguish himself in combat. However he became a trusted confidante of the LTTE Batticaloa-Amparai commander \u201cCol\u201d Karuna.  After the ceasefire of 2002 Pillayan was deployed in Kurunegala as an intelligence operative. In early 2004, Pillayan was summoned to Batticaloa by Karuna. At a secret conclave in Tharavai , Karuna indicated that he wanted greater autonomy for the eastern tigers and was going to raise that demand with LTTE supremo Prabhakaran. Pillayan was to recall later that he extended full support to Karuna on this issue while  sipping mineral water. He had however cautioned Karuna that  care should be taken to avoid a split in the LTTE.<\/p>\n<p>Pillayan was back in Kurunegala when Karuna raised the banner of revolt in March 2004. He immediately returned to Batticaloa. Despite the fracture, Pillayan entertained hopes of rapprochement with the mainstream LTTE but the fighting along the banks of  Verugal river in April 2004 changed his mind. Horrified by the massacre of Batticaloa  tigers by the mainstream LTTE , Pillayan resolved that the   eastern LTTE dissidents should form their  own group and function independently under Karuna. The  break- away eastern tigers  formed the Thamil Eelam Makkal Viduthalaip Puligal (TEMVP) in 2004. It was later changed to Thamil Makkal Viduthalaip Puligal(TMVP).<\/p>\n<p>Karuna was the TMVP leader and Pillayan   the deputy -leader.  While Karuna remained in Colombo and later sojourned in Nepal and India, Pillayan holed up in the jungles along Polonnaruwa district borders. Pillayan led the TMVP in the field in the east. The TMVP was allegedly responsible for many human rights violations and crimes against humanity during the 2006-2008 period. It was also of great assistance to the armed forces who began re-establishing  full territorial control  over the  east during this period.Soon Pillayan became more popular than Karuna  with ex-tigers of the east. Sri Lankan intelligence officials handling the TMVP also found it easier to interact with Pillayan instead of  Karuna.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Karuna Ousted as TMVP Leader<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There was a  Coup d\u2019etat within the TMVP in April 2007. Karuna was ousted as leader and replaced by Pillayan. A disgruntled Karuna was sent to the UK to re-join his wife and children as a consolation prize. Karuna was however arrested by British authorities and imprisoned, After some months he was released and deported to Sri Lanka. Meanwhile the armed forces brought the Eastern Province under the writ of the Sri Lankan Govt. The Northern and Eastern provinces merged temporarily due to the Indo-Lanka accord of 1987 had been de-merged with effect from January 1st 2007 by a Supreme court ruling.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_71604\" style=\"width: 172px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/93270777-AA26-4862-AA90-3F69E30AB861.jpeg\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-71604\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/93270777-AA26-4862-AA90-3F69E30AB861-162x300.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"162\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-71604\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/93270777-AA26-4862-AA90-3F69E30AB861-162x300.jpeg 162w, https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/93270777-AA26-4862-AA90-3F69E30AB861.jpeg 245w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 162px) 100vw, 162px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-71604\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8220;Col&#8221; Karuna<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Elections were scheduled for the Eastern Province Council in June 2008. The ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance(UPFA) decided to  take the TMVP  into its folds and contest the elections. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) threw in its lot with the United National Party(UNP). The Tamil National Alliance boycotted the polls. The UPFA\/TMVP combine won 20 of the 37 seats.  The then president Mahinda Rajapaksa and the UPFA master strategist Basil Rajapaksa opted to have a Tamil chief minister for the first Eastern provincial council administration. Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan made history by becoming the first Eastern chief minister.<\/p>\n<p>The Eastern provincial council was prematurely dissolved and new elections were held in September 2012. The UPFA was able to win only 14 of the 37 seats.  The TNA which boycotted the 2008 polls contested  elections this time and got 11 seats. The TMVP candidates contesting  under the UPFA ticket fared miserably.  Pillayan was the only  Tamil candidate  to win from the UPFA. Subsequenty a bonus seat was given to another Tamil  Navaratnarajah. MN Abdul Majeed  became chief minister. No Tamil was made a minister.  When Parliamentary elections were held  in  August 2015 Pillayan contested and garnered  a sizable number of votes   but  failed to get elected.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Pradeep Master and Gajan Maamaa<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan got into hot water after his deputies Krishnanandaraja alias Pradeep Master and Kanaganayagam alias \u2018Gajan Maamaa\u2019 were taken into custody over the Pararajasingham assassination. Both were detained under the PTA  and interrogated. During interrogation, they  reportedly made \u201cvoluntary confessions\u201d pointing the finger at Pillayan as their \u201cboss\u201d at the time Pararajasingham was killed.<\/p>\n<p>According to the confessions, the assassin who shot Joseph Pararajasingham dead in the cathedral was Palanithamby Shashidaran alias \u201cShanthan\u201d. Krishnanadarajah alias Pradeep Master claimed in his confession that Pillayan had instructed him by telephone to proceed from Vakarai to Batticaloa town with Shanthan and collect the necessary weapons from the \u201cPatpodi\u201dcamp.  Pradeep master said he  was ordered by Pillayan to accompany  Shanthan to St. Mary\u2019s Cathedral where Pararajasingham was killed  during Christmas mass. It was however established during interrogation that the assassin  Palanithamby Shashidaran alias :Shanthan\u201d was no more among the living.<\/p>\n<p>Following the  two confessions implicating  Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, the TMVP leader  was taken into custody after a detention order was issued under the PTA. Initially a team of Police officers went to Batticaloa to arrest Pillayan. His family however said that Pillayan was not at home though his vehicle was seen parked on the premises. The Police then informed the family that Pillayan was to present himself to the Police in Colombo on 11 October 2015. The ex-Chief Minister who was at one time in charge of law and order in the Eastern Province adhered to the Police summons and presented himself accordingly. He was accompanied by a lawyer. The Police however took him into custody under a 72-hour detention order issued under the PTA.<\/p>\n<p>After interrogation for three days the Police produced ex-Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan in courts for the first time on 14 October 2015. Media persons gathered around when a handcuffed ex-Chief Minister was led out by the Police. An unfazed Pillayan raised his manacled hands and told the photographers with a smile, \u201cNalla Padameduthu athai kondu poi TNA kaarangalitte Kaatungo. Avangalukku Santhoshamaayirukkum\u201d (take a good picture and show the TNA fellows. They will be happy).Police sought more time to keep the suspect  Pillayan in custody and question him further regarding the Pararajasingham murder.<\/p>\n<p>Immediately after Pillayan\u2019s detention, his political aides from the TMVP conducted media conferences to emphasise Chandrakanthan\u2019s innocence and express the view that the ex-Chief Minister would soon be set free. TMVP Secretary P. Prashanthan made it a point then to insist that Pillayan\u2019s arrest was not linked to the Joseph Pararajasingham assassination. Despite these denials the investigation proceeded steadily against Pillayan and other suspects.<\/p>\n<p>Since Joseph Pararajasingham was a Member of Parliament at the time he was killed, the Police invoked the PTA to detain, investigate and interrogate suspects. The suspects including Pillayan were denied bail under the PTA. Pillaiaan mounted several legal challenges against his prolonged detention. His party activists kept accusing the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe Government of being in cahoots with the TNA led by R. Sampanthan and conducting a political vendetta against Pillayan. They charged that the case was a frame-up to keep Pillayan detained indefinitely.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Indictment After Protracted Investigation<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>After a protracted investigation, the Attorney General indicted Pillayan (who was 3rd accused) in October 2017 with six other persons in the High Court of Batticaloa for offences committed under Sections 32, 102, 113[b], 140 and 146 of the Penal Code read with Section 2[1][a] , 2[i] and 3[b] of the Prevention of Terrorism [Temporary Provisions] Act No. 48 of 1979 as amended by Act No. 10 of 1982 and Act No. 22 of 1988 in connection with the killing of former Member of Parliament for Batticaloa District Joseph Pararajasingham.<\/p>\n<p>Among the Seven persons  originally named in the indictment was a purported Indian intelligence operative called \u201cMenon\u201d. He was the 7th accused. However at the commencement  of the trial , the  State  requested the court to remove the name of the seventh accused \u201cMenon\u201d from the indictment as there were no further details available regarding him other than  a slight mention of  his name in one of the two confessions.<\/p>\n<p>With the deletion of Menon, the remaing six  indicted were, Edward Silva Krishnanandaraja alias Pradeep Master, Rengasami Kanganayagam alias Kajan Maama, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, Meera Lebbe Kaleel alias Suresh alias Manjula alias Salaam, Ariyanayagam Dharmanayagam alias Olapatti Kumar and Gunasinghe Arachchige Tharindu Madusanka alias Vinoth. Of these Ariyanayagam Dharmanayagam and Tharindu Madushanka were tried in absentia. Subsequently it was established while the trial was in progress that  Madushanka alias Vinoth was also dead. His name too was removed from the indictment.<\/p>\n<p>The key element or mainstay of the prosecution\u2019s case was the purported statements amounting to  confessions made by  Pradeep Master and Kajan Maamaa. Both the  accused subsequently retracted their statements and said they had been procured  through coercion. This led to a \u201cVoir Dire\u201dinquiry to ascertain the truth of these retractions and determine the admissibility or inadmissibility of the confessions.  When the Voir Dire inquiry concluded ,the Batticaloa High Court ruled that the statements had been made voluntarily and therefore were  admissible.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Court of Appeal Ruling<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Thereafter the two accused  filed petitions before the Court of Appeal  challenging  the  decision.The legal team appearing on behalf of the petitioners  reiterated the position that the confessions\/statements were  not admissible. After examining arguments by both sides the Appeal Court ruled that the confession was inadmissible. Media reports of the ruling are hazy but it appears that when the statement was originally made to Court, the Judge had told Pradeep Master in Tamil to keep in mind that his statement could be beneficial or detrimental to him. (\u201cNanmaiyum Nadakkalaam, Theemaiyum Nadakkalaam\u201d). It was argued that this amounted to an \u201cinducement or threat\u201d. Therefore the confessions obtained under duress were not valid or admissible. The Appeal Court upheld this reasoning.<\/p>\n<p>With the confession  being deemed inadmissible by the Appeal Court, the Batticaloa Courts had to grant bail to the accused persons including Pillayan. It was granted on 24 November 2020 but a travel ban was imposed. However there was a pertinent question as to whether the Attorney General intended to proceed with the case or not. Time was granted by Courts to the AG to arrive at a decision. The AG informed Courts the next day that he intended proceeding with the case notwithstanding the Appeal Court ruling. A new date January 13  2021 was fixed.<\/p>\n<p>On  January 11th 2021  Deputy Solicitor -General Madhawa  Tennakoon informed the Batticaloa High Court that the Attorney-General would not be proceeding with the case. It was a foregone conclusion after the invalidation of the \u201cconfessions\u201d. Following this  Batticaloa High Court Judge D.S. Soosaithasan acquitted all the accused including Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan on January 13th 2021. Pillayan  returned home to his mother to celebrate the \u201cThai Pomgal\u201d festival joyfully on Jan 14. The man kept in jail from October 2015 to November 2020 for five years under the PTA was  a free man at last.<\/p>\n<p>TMVP Leader Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan is being lionised after his release.  He is going from village to village in Batticaloa to meet his party members and supporers. Whule thanking them for their solidarity and support Pillayan keeps reiterating  his innocence and how attempts to penalize him unjustly were foiled.Pillayan was detained for five years under the draconian PTA which has been criticised on the grounds that it reverses the presumption of innocence until proven guilty principle to that of being presumed guilty unless proven innocent.<\/p>\n<p>Pillayan\u2019s stance has always been that he was innocent and that he was being framed for political reasons. His party the TMVP under the guidance of his loyal Deputy and Party Secretary Prashanthan had been intensely publicising this claim of innocence to the people of Batticaloa.The TMVP used the Pillayan card in election propaganda meetings. People were asked to vote for the TMVP to demonstrate their belief in Pillayan\u2019s innocence. It was stated that a vote for the TMVP would strengthen the demand for his release.<\/p>\n<p>When the Local Authority elections were held in February 2018, the TMVP contested eight Local Authorities. It polled 42,365 votes and obtained 36 seats in all.When Parliamentary Polls were held in August this year the TMVP contested Batticaloa District with the imprisoned Pillayan as chief candidate. The Tamil National Alliance contesting as the Ilankai Thamil Arasuk Katchi (ITAK) topped the district with 79,460(26.66%) votes. The TMVP came next with 67,692 (22.71%) votes. Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan was elected MP polling the highest number of preferences \u2013 54,198 in the district.<\/p>\n<p>Thereafter Pillayan was appointed Co-chairperson of the Batticaloa District Coordinating Committee along with Eastern Province Governor Anuradha Yahampath. Until his release on bail, Pillayan obtained special permission from Courts to be allowed to attend Parliament as well as District Coordinating Committee meetings.  Pillayan\u2019s loyalists are optimistic about him  getting a ministerial portfolio  in the near future.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Pillayan\u2019s Acquittal and Ranjan\u2019s Conviction<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It could be seen therefore that the acquittal of Pillayan and conviction of Ranjan are two unrelated matters. There is no connection except for the fact that the acquittal and conviction happened within 24 hours of each other.  Puerile attempts to link both can only prove to be exercises in futility in the long run.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>DBS Jeyaraj can be reached at <a href=\"mailto:dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com\"><span>dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com<\/span> <\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>This is an Updated Version of an Article written for the DBS Jeyaraj Column in the \u201cDaily Mirror\u201d of January 23rd 2021. It can be accessed here:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dailymirror.lk\/opinion\/Acquittal-of-TMVP-Leader-Pillayan-From-Murder-Charges\/172-204344\">http:\/\/www.dailymirror.lk\/opinion\/Acquittal-of-TMVP-Leader-Pillayan-From-Murder-Charges\/172-204344<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"tweetbutton71609\" class=\"tw_button\" style=\"float:right;margin-left:10px;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdbsjeyaraj.com%2Fdbsj%2F%3Fp%3D71609&amp;text=%26%238220%3BPillayan%20Out.%20Ranjan%20In%26%238221%3B%3A%20Arrest%20and%20Release%20of%20TMVP%20Leader%20Sivanesathurai%20Chandrakanthan%20Alias...%20&amp;related=&amp;lang=en&amp;count=horizontal\" class=\"twitter-share-button\"  style=\"width:55px;height:22px;background:transparent url('https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-tweet-button\/tweetn.png') no-repeat  0 0;text-align:left;text-indent:-9999px;display:block;\">Tweet<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By D.B.S.Jeyaraj On January 12th 2021, a three judge bench of the Supreme Court imposed a sentence of four years rigorous imprisonment on Sadda Vidda Rajapakse Palanga Pathira Ambakumarage Ranjan Leo Sylvester Alphonsu alias Ranjan Ramanayake finding him guilty of the offence of Contempt of court. Prior to being taken away in a prisons dept &#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=71609\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading &lsquo;&#8220;Pillayan Out. Ranjan In&#8221;: Arrest and Release of TMVP Leader Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan Alias &#8220;Pillayan&#8221;&rsquo; &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[27],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71609"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=71609"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71609\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71615,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71609\/revisions\/71615"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=71609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=71609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=71609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}