On 20 December 2003, R.R. Gopal, editor of the Tamil-language magazine "Nakkheeran", was released on bail following a Tamil Nadu High Court order.
Gopal was detained in Chennai Central prison for more than eight months. He still faces charges for "conspiring to promote the secession of Tamil Nadu state" and "possession of a firearm". He was charged under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) on 11 April. The journalist described his release as a "first blow against [the] autocratic law."
