A CBI team reached Denmark on Monday to assist local authorities in the case against Purulia arms drop case prime accused Kim Davy in the Danish High Court which is expected to pronounce its verdict on Thursday on extradition of Kim Davy to India to face trial.
Ahead of the verdict, the Indian Government is hopeful that the High Court will clear the decks for Davy’s extradition to India.
A two-member team of CBI is in Copenhagen to assist authorities there with the facts and evidence collected against Davy. Though India is not a party to the case in the Danish court, the role of the team is limited to helping the prosecutors there with necessary material evidence.
A five-member constitutional bench of the Denmark High Court is hearing the plea of the Denmark government which challenged a lower court order against the extradition of Davy to India.
“Authorities in Denmark has been pursuing the case very seriously as it has been hanging for very long. Considering the gravity of the case, the High Court also constituted a five member constitutional bench which is expected to pronounce its verdict on May 19,” an official said today, adding “we hope the order will come in favour of Davy’s extradition.”
The decision to despatch the CBI team was taken days after Davy and one of the convicted persons in the case, Peter Bleach, had alleged that the Purulia arms drop operation was planned by the Indian government and its intelligence agencies to destabilise the Left Front government in West Bengal.
The government had, however, quickly denied the allegation saying it is mischievous and aimed at misleading the prosecuting agency and the court in Denmark which are seized with the matter of his extradition to India to face trial.
The CBI had registered the case on December 28, 1995 after sophisticated arms including AK-47 assault rifles, anti-tank grenades and other weapons were dropped from a foreign plane in the fields of Purulia in West Bengal on the night of December 17, 1995.
An Interpol Red Corner Notice was issued against Kim Davy in 1996 on the request of the agency.
Since he was traced to Denmark in 2001, efforts continued to extradite him to India even though there was no extradition treaty between the two countries.
The Danish government wanted India to ensure that Davy would not be given death sentence if he is extradited, which was agreed to.
The CBI had claimed that it has “clinching” evidence against Davy’s alleged “act of terror” and is making all efforts to bring him to India to face trial in the case.
