Syllabus: Important International institutions, agencies and fora – their structure, mandate
Recent Developments
- Belgian court ruled on Mehul Choksi extradition, prime accused in Punjab National Bank scam. The court rejected ill-treatment plea, noting India gave multiple safety and prison arrangement assurances.
- UK Crown Prosecution Service visited Tihar jail assessing conditions for Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi extradition.
India’s Extradition Framework
- India signed extradition treaties with 48 countries/territories, extradition arrangements with 12 countries.
- Extradition requests initiated for cases under investigation, trial, or convicted criminals facing charges.
Extradition Statistics
- 2020-2024: India made 133 extradition requests; 2024 alone saw 39 requests (highest).
- India received 79 requests from foreign countries seeking fugitive extradition between 2020-2024.
Offence-wise Analysis (2002-2025)
- 35% extradited for economic offences: financial fraud, cheating, forgery like Christian Michel James case.
- 27.5% accused of terrorist activities, terror financing, waging war against India like Tahawwur Rana.
- 21.3% accused of murder or attempt to murder crimes constituting violent criminal offences.
- Other offences include drugs and sexual offences as listed by External Affairs Ministry.
Country-wise Analysis
- India secured extraditions from at least 26 countries during 2002-2018 and 2024-25 periods.
- UAE and USA together accounted for 46% of all extradition cases significantly.
- UAE: 25 fugitives extradited; USA: 12 fugitives extradited in analyzed periods combined.