Guwahati:
In what is being viewed as steps to facilitate talks between the government and the ULFA, the banned group's 'vice chairman' and 'publicity secretary' were on Tuesday granted bail in four cases by a TADA court.
TADA judge Soneka Bora granted bail to 'vice chairman' Pradip Gogoi in three cases and in one case to 'publicity secretary' Mithinga Daimary against a surety of Rs one lakh for each case.
Gogoi was granted bail in three other cases by the TADA court on February 19.
Granting the bail petition, the judge directed the duo not to leave Assam without the court's permission and to surrender their passports and other related documents to it.
They have been also directed not to leave Guwahati without informing the TADA court and if they chose to live in their hometowns they must regularly report to the police there. Sivasagar is Gogoi's hometown, while Daimary hails from Nalbari.
The government counsel did not oppose the bail application during the hearing on February 16 but demanded an assurance that the duo would not jump bail.
The government's move not to oppose the bail, the granting of the bail coupled with the shifting of ULFA's ideologue Bhimakanta Buragohain to Guwahati Central Jail from Tezpur jail are being viewed as steps to facilitate talks between the government and the proscribed group.