Former State Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, better known as “Pillayan,” has been further remanded until August 4, NewsFirst reported.
The order was issued when the suspect was produced before the Batticaloa Magistrate’s Court through an online hearing on Thursday. Chandrakanthan, who was arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), continues to be held in custody as investigations proceed.
The remand extends the detention of the former Eastern Province politician, who has faced a series of court appearances in cases linked to killings in the Batticaloa District. He was previously remanded until July 24 over a set of murders reported in the district in 2008, in which the Criminal Investigation Department has named him among several suspects.
The former leader of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) has been in custody since his earlier confession to the 2006 abduction and killing of Eastern University Vice Chancellor Professor S. Ravindranath, a case that opened a sustained accountability track against him over eastern-province killings.
Producing remand suspects before court via video link has become increasingly common in high-profile security cases. The next appearance is set for August 4.
