Delhi:
Ravi Shankaran, a key accused in the Naval War Room leak case, will face extradition charges on December 30 in a London court which accepted the evidence given by the CBI.
"The District Court in London has accepted the evidence presented by Indian authorities in connection with extradition of an accused (Shankaran) in the Naval War Room leak case which was investigated by CBI," a CBI spokesperson said in a statement here on Monday.
The order, passed yesterday, ruled that there "is an admissible case" against 46-year-old Shankaran, a relative of former Naval Chief Admiral Arun Prakash. The court has now fixed Decemebr 30 as the next date of hearing the case.
Shankaran has been absconding since registration of the case by CBI in March, 2006. The agency revoked his passport on May 1, 2006 and later secured a Red Corner Notice against him after filing charge sheet in July 2006.
An extradition request was sent to the United Kingdom in 2007 after reports surfaced about his presence in that country. He was arrested by the UK authorities in April, 2010 on the basis of non-bailable warrants of arrest issued by the Court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Delhi.
The CBI spokesperson said the order of the Westminister Magistrate court was a result of close coordinated efforts between UK's Crown Prosecution Services, High Commission of India, and the CBI.
"The attempts of the accused to cause doubts in the case were successfully refuted. CBI team as well as Forensic expert successfully clarified doubts raised by the defence about the electronic evidence during their deposition before the extradition court in UK," the spokesperson said.
A retired Naval Commander, Shankaran was accused of leaking sensitive classified information out of the Navy War Room and passing them to arms dealers.
The CBI had despatched a two-member team to London to assist British law officers in the extradition trial. It also furnished a 50-page reply to objections raised by the defence on emails submitted as evidence in the court.
Among other issues to be decided by the London court on December 30 were the human rights issue and prison conditions in India as raked up by Shankaran in his plea.