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Kohli's extradition might take a long time
The extradition of Maninderpal Singh Kohli, accused of raping and murdering a British schoolgirl, might take a long time, say officials in New Delhi.
The extradition of Maninderpal Singh Kohli, accused of raping and murdering a British schoolgirl, might take a long time, say officials in New Delhi.
Senior officials said extradition was a very lengthy process involving the courts of the two countries and matters could be complicated if Kohli decided to mount a legal challenge to efforts to extradite him.
Kohli, a native of Punjab, allegedly raped and murdered Hannah Claire Foster and then dumped her body on the outskirts of Southampton town in Britain in March last year.
A Delhi court looking into the request of British Police to extradite Kohli Friday started hearing the case and arguments were presented by the government and Kohli's counsel. The court sent Kohli to judicial custody till Sep 7.
Kohli was arrested earlier this month in West Bengal while allegedly trying to flee to Nepal.
"British police have submitted evidence like tape recorded conversations between Kohli and Hannah, investigation reports prepared by British police, and DNA test reports confirming Kohli's involvement in the case. We also have his image on CCTV," said A.K. Walli, the lawyer representing the government.
But he admitted that extradition might take a long time.
A senior government official listed three things, which are looked into for extradition requests by a country. "The court will find out whether the country has a valid treaty which would facilitate extradition.
"Two, the evidence produced and submitted by the police of the country, and three, the sentence of the offence committed in the foreign country."
The official admitted that the extradition process would take long because Kohli's council would challenge evidence submitted by British police, which is bound to delay the case.
"Kohli, being a citizen of India, has the right to challenge his extradition in an Indian court. This means the British government might have to mount a legal challenge to any appeal from Kohli, which again might delay the extradition," the official said.
