Sanjay Bhandari case likely to impact India's extradition petitions: Justice Lokur

New Delhi: The recent UK high court order, rejecting India's application for appeal in the Sanjay Bhandari case, may hamper more than 100 requests from New Delhi pending across the world for the extradition of economic offenders and criminals, said former Supreme Court judge Madan B Lokur.

Justice Lokur, who currently chairs the UN Internal Justice Council, was speaking at the launch of the India Justice Report late Tuesday evening.

India is pressing for the extradition of fugitive offender Mehul Choksi, who was recently arrested in Belgium, after the successful extradition of 26/11 plotter Tahawwur Hussain Rana from the US. Other key extradition requests pending involve Vijay Malaya, Lalit Modi, Nirav Modi and several people linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.


"Recently the judgement of a United Kingdom court was released. India has moved for extradition of Sanjay Bhandari. The district court looked into it and then the appellate court examined it. They have denied the permission on quite a few grounds. The ruling cited ground three and four which are dealt with torture and conditions in the prisons," justice Lokur said.

Another case mentioned in the UK court order is that of Jagtar Johal, Justice Lokur said. Johal is a Scottish Sikh man detained in India for seven years on terror charges and was recently cleared in one of nine cases against him. In 2021, the BBC reported, citing his lawyer, that Johal was tortured and forced to sign a blank confession statement.

Lokur also cited the judgement of the murder of gangster Tillu Tajpuria inside the Tihar jail.