Katchatheevu Islet
Katchatheevu is a 163-acre uninhabited island administered by Sri Lanka.
It was a disputed territory between India and Sri Lanka until 1974.
It was never demarcated by the Indian government.
The island is located between Neduntheevu, Sri Lanka and Rameswaram, India and has been traditionally used by both Sri Lankan Tamil and Indian fishermen.
In 1974, then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi accepted Katchatheevu as Sri Lankan area under the "Indo-Sri Lankan Maritime agreement" aimed at resolving the maritime boundaries in the Palk Strait.
Another agreement signed in 1976 restricted both the countries’ fishermen from fishing in the other’s exclusive economic zones.
Earlier, it was owned by the Ramnad Kingdom of Ramanathapuram Rameshwaram which later came under the Madras Presidency during British rule of India.
It was recognised by Ceylon as part of British India after the delimitation of Gulf of Mannar and Palk Strait between the then governments of Madras and Ceylon.
However in 1921, Sri Lanka reinstated its claims to Katchatheevu.
Issues
Despite the signing of maritime boundary agreements, fishermen communities of both the countries continued their fishing in the Palk Bay area peacefully until the Eelam war broke out in 1983.
Nonetheless, after the end of War in 2009, the Sri Lankan fishermen have been raising their objection to Indian fishermen fishing in their waters.
The small islet of Katchatheevu, hitherto used by the fishermen for sorting their catch and drying their nets, fell on the other side of the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).
Fishermen often risk their lives and cross the IMBL rather than return empty-handed, but the Sri Lankan Navy is on alert, and have either arrested or destroyed fishing nets and vessels of those who have crossed the line.
The legality of the transfer of Islets to Sri Lanka was challenged in the Indian Supreme Court since the recognizing was not ratified by the Indian Parliament.
This recognition of an island that is culturally important to fishermen of Tamil Nadu state in India has led to some agitations by Tamil Nadu politicians that it should be claimed to Indian sovereignty.
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