The Madras High Court has adjourned the hearing on a long-standing petition seeking the removal of the ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in India. The case was postponed until February 16, 2026, after the Union Government’s counsel requested more time during proceedings before a Division Bench.
The petitioner, Vaiko, General Secretary of the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), filed the appeal in 2013 challenging the decision of an Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) Tribunal that upheld the continuation of the ban on the LTTE — an organisation outlawed in India since 1991 following its designation as an unlawful association under UAPA.
At the recent hearing before Justices Anita Sumanth and Mummineni Sudheer Kumar, the court agreed to defer the petition after the government sought more time to prepare its arguments. The next hearing date is now set for mid-February as the legal debate over the decades-old ban continues.