A British fugitive wanted in India to serve a 10-year sentence after his conviction for possession of 10 kilograms of cannabis in April 2002 won a High Court appeal in London on Tuesday, as a judge ruled that it would be oppressive to extradite him to India because he posed a “very high risk of completed suicide”.
Justice Martin Chamberlain noted that the assurances given by the Indian government did not “significantly reduce” the risk that the accused, Ivor Fletcher, could try to kill himself if transferred to an Indian prison.
“Certainly, the detail that is provided does nothing to allay the concerns about the extent of supervision to prevent suicide,” Justice Chamberlain notes. “For these reasons, I have concluded that the assurances given do not significantly reduce the very high risk of completed suicide.
Accordingly, on the evidence before the court (which is quite different from that before the District Judge), the physical or mental condition of the Appellant (Fletcher) is such that it would be oppressive to extradite him,” his judgment reads.