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Definitive mechanism needed to bring back all fugitives to face Indian laws: Amit Shah

New Delhi, Oct 16 (PTI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said a "ruthless approach" must be adopted to bring every fugitive before the Indian justice system in a time-bound manner. He also underlined that India cannot be truly secure until those residing abroad and harming the country's economy, sovereignty, and security begin to fear the Indian laws. Addressing a conference on 'Extradition of Fugitives - Challenges and Strategies' organised by the CBI here, Shah asked all the states to set up at least one prison cell of international standards to blunt the claims of poor standards of Indian jails often made by fugitives in foreign courts to counter their extradition proceedings. The home minister also suggested developing a coordination mechanism between the passport issuance process and the law enforcement agencies, so that when the process of issuing a Red Corner Notice begins against any offender, their passport can be red-flagged. "It is not a difficult thing to do with the present technologies. When a red notice is issued, the passport should be cancelled to block the fugitive's international travel. If we can build this provision into the system, it will help bring the fugitives back," Shah said. Several fugitives like Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi have raised the issue of poor conditions of Indian prisons to counter their extradition cases in foreign courts. India has 338 extradition requests pending with various countries. Earlier, CBI Director Praveen Sood said in his welcome address that India issued a record 199 Interpol notices in 2025, which is more than double compared to 2024, when 96 Interpol notices were issued -- 52 red and 44 blue. As many 189 notices were issued in the first nine months of 2025, including 79 red notices and 110 blue notices, Sood said. "So far, Interpol has published a total of 957 red notices against fugitives. Of these, 231 are related to CBI cases, 130 to NIA, 21 to ED, 12 to NCB cases, and the remaining to various state police forces," he said. Sood, however, said one cannot take pride in these figures just yet for two reasons -- first, the number is still relatively low compared to other countries, and second, the real work begins only after the notices are published. At the conference, which was also attended by Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, and Director of Intelligence Bureau, Tapan Kumar Deka, Shah said that while maintaining a zero-tolerance policy against corruption, crime and terrorism within the country, "we must also adopt a zero-tolerance approach towards those operating such activities from beyond India's borders". "It is our responsibility to bring all such criminals under the purview of Indian laws and to create a robust mechanism for this purpose," he said. The home minister said India cannot be truly secure until those residing abroad who harm the country's economy, sovereignty and security begin to fear the Indian justice system. Shah said it should be a collective resolve that no matter how cunning a criminal may be, the reach of justice must be even swifter. The issue of fugitive criminals is linked to the country's sovereignty, economic stability, law and order, and national security, he said. Asserting that after a long time, a structured approach is being developed on this subject, the home minister said that time has come to ensure a system that adopts a "ruthless approach" and brings every fugitive before Indian laws in a time-bound manner. Shah said two crucial aspects -- assurance and ecosystem -- are essential to apprehend any fugitive, as he stressed the need to eliminate the assurance in the minds of fugitive criminals that the law cannot reach them. He said the ecosystem of legal, financial, and political support must be dismantled, and the institutional nexus created by fugitives abroad eradicated. The home minister suggested that with the cooperation of the CBI, every state must establish a unit dedicated to creating a mechanism for bringing back fugitives who committed crimes and fled the state. This effort must be accelerated through a "whole of government" approach. Shah also asked the agencies to use "to the fullest extent" Sections 355 and 356 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which provide for 'trial in absentia' that has been included in the law for the first time since India's Independence, allowing trials of fugitives to proceed even in their absence. The actionable points emerging from this conference, along with the Bharatpol and 'trial in absentia' provisions, should be integrated to create a mechanism within both state police forces and all Central agencies, with the CBI officially overseeing it, he said. Shah also suggested establishing a robust system for sharing the database of fugitives with police forces across the country. Besides, a focused group should be formed within the police force in every state to coordinate on narcotics, terrorism, financial and cyber crimes with the CBI, he said. Shah asked the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the CBI to strengthen and accelerate this focus group through the multi-agency centre (MAC). Every state police force should quickly set up an expert special cell to ensure effective preparation of extradition cases with guidance from the CBI, Shah said, adding that the central agency should also create a dedicated division to guide these cells. Shah said a special campaign should be launched to convert the existing Blue Corner notices into Red Corner notices, for which a dedicated cell should be created in every state. A zero-tolerance approach must be adopted not only against corruption, crime and terrorism, but also against criminals operating from outside India, Shah said. Efforts must be made to bring all fugitives within the ambit of law and to establish a definite mechanism for this purpose, he added. "Whether they are economic offenders, cyber criminals, those involved in terrorist activities or part of organised crime networks, a ruthless approach must be adopted against every fugitive to ensure they are brought before the Indian justice system. The time has come for this," Shah said. Senior officials from the Cabinet secretariat, IB, external affairs ministry, CBI, ED, NTRO, FIU, CBDT, NCB, NIA, and Mumbai Police will deliberate on key issues during the conference, ranging from Bharatpol and Interpol products, geo-locating fugitives, bringing them back, strengthening cases in foreign jurisdictions, pursuit of fugitives, and tracking the money trail. A session by Helen Malcolm, a well-established extradition advocate from the UK's Crown Prosecution Service, is of special interest, with many high-profile fugitives such as Vijay Mallya, Sanjay Bhandari, Nirav Modi, Vir Karan Awasthy, and Ritika Awasthy presently living in the UK with Indian agencies finding it difficult to seek their repatriation to face the law here. The home minister asserted that the Modi government has undertaken foolproof measures to ensure that no offender escapes the wrath of the law. "Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a strong India is moving forward to ensure not only security of its borders, but also strengthening the rule of law," Shah said. PTI ABS ACB SKL ARI ARI

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