One-year jail for Vaiko in sedition case

Former MP V Gopalaswamy, popularly known as Vaiko, has been sentenced to one-year jail term by a Chennai court in connection with a sedition case. The bench, however, stayed the execution of the order for one-month so that he can move the Madras High Court to challenge his conviction. The case against Vaiko dates back to 2009, when the DMK filed a complaint against him over a remark issued by him during the launch of his book "Naan Kuttram Kaattugiren". Vaiko was accused of challenging India's sovereignty by allegedly commenting that parts of South would secede if the war on LTTE is not stopped in Sri Lanka. Incidentally, the DMK, which had then filed a case against him, has now forged an alliance with his party and has announced him as their candidate for the biennial Rajya Sabha polls.