Nadeem wins UK extradition battle

Nadeem wins UK extradition battle
REUTERS

LONDON, DEC 21: Top movie music director Nadeem Akhtar Saifi, who is wanted to face murder charges which could result in the death penalty, on Thursday won his battle against extradition from Britain.

Two of Britain's senior judges ruled that the murder and conspiracy charges he faces in connection with the killing of music producer Gulshan Kumar in Mumbai in August 1997 had not been made "in good faith and in the interests of justice".

"Having reached this conclusion we are also satisfied that it would not be fair and would be unjust to return the applicant to India because of the appearance of misbehaviour by the police in pursuing their inquiries," Lord Justice Rose said at London's High Court.

He said the court considered there was a significant risk that the activities surrounding that misbehaviour had "tainted evidence" to an extent that rendered a fair trial for Saifi impossible.

The court took the view that documents in the case had been fabricated and there had been a deliberate and calculated attempt to make it appear that the case against Saifi was stronger than it was.

However, lawyers for the Indian government indicated that they will attempt to challenge the decision in the House of Lords, Britain's highest court.

The 46-year-old music director was arrested in London three years ago in connection with the charges resulting from the "Bollywood murder", so-called because it happened in Mumbai, centre of the Indian film industry. However, he was freed on bail last year to await extradition moves.

After Thursday's High Court victory, Nadeem, who lives in North London, said he was delighted at the outcome.

"I have always maintained my innocence. Now I want to carry on with my life in England. It has been a very painful three years," he said. He said his plans for the future were to go on writing music for Indian films.