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UK court favours Nadeem's extradition to India

The Bombay Police is sure of extraditing music director Nadeem Saifee from the United Kingdom -- who is among the prime accused in the sensational gunning down of cassette king Gulshan Kumar -- though it may take some time to bring the accused to India.

''The Bow Street magistrate court, where the extradition proceedings were heard, have found prima facie evidence against Nadeem,'' public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, who represented the Bombay Police in the court told an over-crowded news conference in Bombay today. The Bow Steet magistrate Christopher Patt on September 22 found Nadeem, who had business rivalry with Gulshan Kumar, to have played a role in his murder.

Gulshan Kumar was gunned down on August 12, 1997 by assailants of the Abu Salem faction of the Karachi-based underworld don and serial blasts accused Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar. He was killed near a Shiva temple at Andheri in north-west Bombay. A high-level crime branch inquiry was instituted under the then police commissioner Subhash Malhotra and joint commissioner of police (crime) Ranjit Singh Sharma and Nadeem was found guilty in the killing.

However, Nadeem fled the country and since then had been evading arrest. The Bombay Police requested for the extradition of the accused and the Centre took it up. The Bow Street magistrate court, which was hearing the case, has found Nadeem guilty and the magistrate will pronounce his final order on October 6.

Nikam told reporters that the statements of the eye-witnesses and the arrested accused were produced before the court, which were satisfactorily accepted. But he feared that Nadeem may approach the division bench of the high court at London against the order. After the final judgement on October 6, he will have to approach a higher competent authority within 14 days.

The verdict of the Bow Street magistrate court would be sent to the British home secretary, who will give a green signal to the extradition. In case Nadeem approaches the higher authority, it may take a few more months for the proceedings to be over in the division bench, Nikam informed.

Meanwhile, advocate Abdul Majeed Memon, who is defending Nadeem in court said that they will move the British high court, as the Bow Street magistrate court has ''very limited and narrow jurisdiction'' pertaining to the case. ''Hence, we have decided to shift the battle to the high court,'' he said.

UNI

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