| Kachchatheevu කච්චතීවු கச்சத்தீவு |
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| — Island — | |
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Kachchatheevu
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | India (Until 1974 and became fully accessible in 2009) and Sri Lanka (Current and disputed by its own country) |
| Province | Northern |
| District | Jaffna |
| DS Division | Delft |
Kachchatheevu or Katchatheevu or Kachativu (Tamil: கச்சத்தீவு Kaccatīvu) (Sinhala: කච්චතීවු) is a controversial uninhabited island belonging to Sri Lanka. This island is given to Sri Lanka by India in 1974 on a conditional basis. It has a Catholic shrine and has been declared as a sacred area by the government of Sri Lanka.
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285-acre (1.15 km2) island is situated between India and Sri Lanka.
A part of India until 1974, it has belonged to Sri Lanka since India ceded the island in 1974. This transfer 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 returned to Indian sovereignty. The island is also important for fishing grounds used by fishers from both the countries. Under the treaty agreement of 1974, Indian fishermen have rights to rich fishing grounds in the territorial waters of Sri Lanka around Kachchativu. But as part of the Sri Lankan civil war, this arrangement has led to many difficulties with the Sri Lankan Navy that is deployed to prevent smuggling of weapons by the rebel group LTTE. The island has a Catholic shrine that attracts devotees from both the countries.[1] On 2009, Tamil Nadu Government declared that the area is controlled by the Sri Lanka against the original pact of allowing Indian fishermen to access the water of Sri Lanka. This tensions and the killings of Tamil fishermen created a diaspora in and across India and the governments of both the countries held conversation and finally the Sri Lankan government allowed a full access term to Indian fishermen till Jaffna Line and released the fishermen jailed for a while. The problem continue to grow as more fisherman move in to the Sri Lankan sea area. In 2010 the Sri Lankan government issued a notice to the Tamil Nadu government saying the Indian court cannot nullify the 1974 agreement.[2]
In June 2011, the new Tamil Nadu government led by Jayalalithaa filed a petition in supreme court seeking the declaration of the 1974 and 1976 agreements between India and Sri Lanka on ceding of Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka as unconstitutional.[3] The supreme court of India in 1960 in Berubari case(Case on exchange of enclaves in Kutch with Pakistan) ruled that cession of Indian territory to another country should be ratified by parliament through amendment of the constitution. Katchatheevu was ceded to Sri-lanka ignoring this ruling of the supreme court, under the 1974 and 1976 agreements, without the approval of two Houses of Parliament.