NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed a Delhi court on Tuesday that a UK court has rejected its appeal for the extradition of arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari to India. The ED also stated that its request to declare Bhandari a ‘fugitive’ remains under consideration by another Delhi court, scheduled for hearing on May 3.
The ED gave this update to Special Judge Neelofer Abida Perveen during a hearing in a money laundering case involving Bhandari and others. Judge Perveen took note of the statement made by ED’s special public prosecutor Naveen Kumar Matta and adjourned the case for further hearing on May 26.
In April, Bhandari opposed the ED’s application to designate him a ‘fugitive’ in a black money case. He argued that his stay in the UK is legal, as the London High Court had refused his extradition to India. His counsel, Senior Advocate Maninder Singh, contended that the ED’s plea was unclear, improperly filed, and did not meet the legal standards under the Fugitive Offenders Act.
In February, the High Court of Justice in London ruled against Bhandari’s extradition, citing concerns about his safety in India’s Tihar prison. The court noted that Bhandari would be at serious risk of extortion and violence from both prisoners and officials if he were sent to India.
Earlier this month, the UK High Court also rejected the Indian government’s request to challenge the decision in Britain’s Supreme Court.
Bhandari’s legal team argued that the ED had misled the court by claiming the alleged offence exceeded ₹100 crore, even though the Income Tax Department had stated in 2020 that the amount was actually less. Bhandari’s counsel further noted that although Bhandari was arrested under non-bailable warrants in the UK, he had been discharged by the UK High Court, with no new warrants pending against him. The Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi has scheduled the ED’s reply for May 3, after hearing detailed arguments on the agency’s plea to label Bhandari a fugitive under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act.