The banned ULFA ‘chairman’ Arabinda Rajkhowa was on Thursday granted bail and is likely to be released from jail on Friday, a year since his arrest after being nabbed by Bangladesh security agencies and handed over to Indian authorities.

A designated TADA court in Guwahati granted relief to 54-year-old Rajkhowa in six TADA cases for his release from the Guwahati Central Jail with the Assam government filing no objection to his bail plea.

The Congress government in Assam did not object to the bail plea against the backdrop of its offer for peace talks with ULFA.

The hearing of the bail petition was earlier deferred thrice this month with the court on Monday asking the home and political department to submit an affidavit on his latest status.

Rajkhowa is likely to come out of jail on Friday after fulfilling the release formalities.

After walking free, he will go to his hometown in Lakhuwa in upper Assam for the first time in 30 years since he went underground after the formation of the United Liberation Front of Assam(ULFA) on April 7, 1979.

He was arrested by Indian security agencies after being handed over by the Bangladesh authorities in November last year at the Meghalaya border where he was picked up.

Rajkhowa is the sixth top jailed leader of ULFA to have been released on bail this year.

The outfit’s self-styled vice chairman Pradip Gogoi, deputy commander-in-chief Raju Baruah, cultural secretary Pranati Deka and publicity secretary Mithinga Daimary and senior leader and political ideologue Bhimkanta Buragohain earlier got bail.

Leader of Opposition Prafulla Mahanta rejected the peace process initiated by Assam government with the banned ULFA saying that such an excercise will be futile without the presence of the outfit’s elusive ‘commander-in-chief’ Paresh Baruah.

“The recent offer by the government for talks is only a political gimmick and unless Paresh Baruah, known for his anti-talk stance is not included the process will be futile,” Mahanta, also a two time chief minister, told reporters in Guwahati.

A change in the political leadership in Bangladesh, where the top ULFA leaders were taking refuge, paved the way for talks with most of the ultras arrested and released on bail.

“But there is no point in talking to different groups at the same time. The entire top leadership of ULFA have to be included in the talks process including Paresh Baruah”, he said.

Baruah remains the only top and influential leader who is still underground.