The designated Terrorist and Anti-Destructive Activities (Prevention) court on Tuesday granted bail to all the cases that were pending against the two top United Liberation Front of Asom leaders -- vice-chairman Pradip Gogoi and central publicity secretary Mithinga Daimary -- paving the way for their release from jail.
However, Gogoi and Daimary could not walk out of the prison on Tuesday because of non-submission of bail bonds as required under the law.
A counsel of the ULFA leaders said Daimary's bail bond and other necessary documents were likely to be submitted to the court on Wednesday, but Gogoi's release was likely to be delayed, as his papers were not yet ready.
The court, while granting bail, asked the two ULFA leaders to deposit their passports, and asked both to present sureties of Rs 1 lakh for each of their cases, and declared that they cannot move out of the state without the court's permission.
The same court had earlier granted bail to Gogoi on February 19 in three other cases.
Earlier, the Assam government had decided not to contest their bail petitions as part of its efforts to pave way for peace talks with the top ULFA leaders now lodged in jail.
Other top ULFA leaders who are in jail now include chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, advisor Bhimkanta Buragohain, armed wing deputy commander-in-chief Raju Baruah, foreign secretary Sashadhar Choudhury, finance secretary Chitraban Hazarika and cultural secretary Pranati Deka.
Gogoi was arrested in Kolkata in April 1998, while Daimary was handed over to the Indian authorities in January 2004 after the Royal Bhutanese Army carried out 'Operation All Clear' to flush out the ULFA, the National Democratic Front of Bodoland and the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation militants from the Himalayan kingdom.
Leader of a pro-talks faction of the ULFA, Prabal Neog hailed the bail granted to the two senior ULFA leaders saying the two leaders would now be able to go to Assam to gather public opinion about holding talks with the government.
