Extradition is the formal process of one state surrendering an individual to another state for punishment for crimes committed in the requesting country’s jurisdiction. The extradition process enables governments to bring fugitives abroad to justice.
Tahawwur Rana, a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin, served as a Pakistan Army doctor and played a role in facilitating the Mumbai terror attack by assisting one of the masterminds of the attack, David Coleman Headley
Extradition treaties are signed between nations with a “dual criminality” approach that is if it is punishable by imprisonment for more than one year under the laws of both countries. The India-US extradition treaty was signed in June 1997
According to data provided by the Ministry of External Affairs, the India-US Extradition Treaty has facilitated the extradition of just 11 Indian fugitives from the US between 2002 and 2018
As of 2023, India had extradition treaties with 48 countries, and “extradition arrangements” with another 12.
Over the years, India has extradited several high-profile fugitives like Abu Salem (from Portugal, 2005), Christian Michel (from UAE, 2018), Ravi Pujari (from Senegal, 2020), Chhota Rajan (from Indonesia, 2015)
Ongoing extradition requests from India include high-profile cases of Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, Goldy Brar