In a major setback to CBI for extradition of key accused Ravi Shankaran in naval war room leak case, a British High Court has not only rejected its demand but also ordered the investigating agency to pay Rs1 crore to him towards legal costs.
“Prima facie there is no case against Ravi Shankaran,” a two-member bench of the london High Court comprising lord Brian leveson and Justice Blake, ruled on Tuesday.The Bench noted that the Indian court is yet to commence the trial even as the case was registered in 2006.Providing that the CBI can appeal its order within two weeks before the Supreme Court in India, the High Court also asked the CBI to pay legal costs to 47-year-old Shankaran, a kin of then Navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash.
The High Court ruling overrides the extradition order of British Home Secretary Theresa May in May last year and the earlier decision of District Judge Nicolas Evans.Shankaran had challenged the Home Secretary's order in the High Court. The court presided over hearings for two days in the case in February this year and gave its ruling on Tuesday.Shankaran is a prime accused in the case relating to leakage of classified information from the Naval War Room to arms dealers. He has been absconding since the case was registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation in March 2006.
The CBI revoked his passport in May that year and secured a Interpol Red Corner Notice against him after filing a charge sheet in July 2006.An extradition request was sent to the UK in 2007 following reports that he was staying in that country following which he was arrested by the authorities there in April 2010 on the basis of the non-bailable arrest warrants issued by the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate in New Delhi.
Besides Shankaran, other accused in the case include sacked Naval Commander VK Jha, former Indian Air Force Wing Commander Sl Surve and controversial arms dealer Abhishek Verma. These accused persons have been chargesheeted by the agency.
The case involves leakage of over 7,000 pages of classified Defence information of sensitive nature from the Naval War Room and Air Force headquarters.A CBI spokesperson said, “The CBI is examining the UK court's order and will take a suitable course of action after taking legal opinion on the issue.”