India has asked the United Kingdom to return 57 fugitives, including liquor baron Vijay Mallya, and members of some Sikh extremist groups. A list of wanted individuals was handed over to the visiting delegation, led by British Prime Minister Theresa May, even as the two sides agreed on enhancing counter-terror measures but failed to reach a consensus on how to deal with outstanding visa issues.
Apart from Mr. Mallya, the list includes the likes of Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in the Agusta- Westland VVIP helicopter deal and 2002 Gujarat riots accused Sameer Ali. Mr. Mallya has been accused of money laundering and the External Affairs Ministry has already revoked his passport. Mr. Michel, the alleged middleman in the Rs. 3,600-crore helicopter deal is also required by the CBI for investigations here. Another person India wants to be extradited is Rajesh Kapoor in an alleged case of kidnapping of a child. A senior official explained that the list includes not only those persons who have to be extradited but those about whom information is required under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty or Letters Rogatories.
The meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ms. May focused on greater cooperation to counter illegal activities and greater terrorism. “Our two countries understand the increasingly transnational challenge of terrorism which demands multilateral as well as bilateral cooperation,” said a joint statement issued at the end of bilateral discussion.
The security and extradition-related issues were discussed during the summit-level meeting at Hyderabad House, where both delegations signed two MoUs on ease of doing business and intellectual property-related issues.
However, a major difference remained unresolved as Ms. May refused to commit to an unconditional increase in visas for Indian professionals.
“The U.K. will consider further improvements to our visa offer if at the same time we can step up the speed and volume of returns of Indians with no right to remain in the U.K.,” she said, addressing the media. Ms. May’s comments drew a firm response from the Ministry of External Affairs which said verification of nationality of returnees to India is a difficult process.
