Nepal Maoist leader Gajurel re-arrested after release

Chennai, Sep 18 (UNI) After serving a three-year jail term, Nepal Maoist leader Chandraprakash Gajurel was today released from Central Prison, only to be re-arrested in connection with a case pending in West Bengal.

Gajurel (58), who had served a three year term in the fake passport case, was released today after expiry of his one year detention under the National Security Act, but he was immediately re-arrested in connection with a case pending in West Bengal.

Gajurel, a politburo member of Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) was arrested at the airport here on August 20, 2003, when he tried to leave the country using a fake passport.

Soon after his release, a special police team from West Bengal re-arrested him near the prison gate and produced him before Egmore Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Ayyasamy to get transit remand.

However, following submissions by the defence counsels that the Habeas Corpus petition, challenging the re-arrest, would comeup for hearing in the Madras High Court today, the Magistrate ordered that Mr Gajurel be lodged in Central Prison.

The Magistrate also directed the police to produce him before the CMM court at 1300 hrs tomorrow.

Gajurel was convicted and sentenced to undergo three years imprisonment by a lower court in Alandur in May this year. The court had also said that the sentence period should be set off against the period he had already spent in prison.

But he could not be released till today following his detention under the NSA for allegedly working against India's sovereignty.

Though the political situation had changed in Nepal, Gajurel could not be deported back to his country as the stay granted by the Madras High Court in this regard was still in force.

The stay was granted on a petition filed by him seeking to direct the Central and State Governments not to deport him to Nepal on the apprehension that the then monarch could kill him there.

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