UK court hears arguments for Shankaran extradition

A Westminster magistrate court on Monday heard further arguments on India's plea for extradition of Ravi Shankaran, the main accused in the naval war room leak case. The arguments remained inconclusive.

The Central Bureau of Investigation has despatched a two member team to London to assist British law officers in the trial for extradition of 46-year-old Shankaran, a relative of former Naval Chief Arun Prakash.

The Indian probe agency has also furnished a 50-page reply to objections raised by defence on emails submitted as evidence in the court.

Shankaran was arrested in London in May last year on the basis of Interpol Red Corner notice secured against him by the CBI which has pressed for his early extradition to India.

The document submitted by CBI contained views of cyber experts and its opinion on the objections raised by an independent cyber expert on the emails submitted as evidence by the CBI, agency sources said in New Delhi.

Shankaran's counsel had raised doubts about an e-mail with an attachment of Sir Creek allegedly sent by Commander Virender Rana to a person called Vic Branson of Inmaty company in Belgium, which they claimed was owned by him.

Monday's arguments mainly revolved around the alleged email exchanges between Rana and Branson. Jason Coine, the court approved cyber forensic expert who had claimed that the alleged email by Vick Branson to Rana has no date and time, was cross examined by prosecutor Ben Brandon. Coine earlier concurred that the email must have been corrupted or constructed to which the prosecutor countered "If it is the case, the government of India has concocted the email".

The court-approved forensic experts, as quoted by the accused's counsel, had claimed that the alleged e-mail by Vic Branson to Rana had no date and time and an independent court approved expert has confirmed that it is not possible to create an email, type 11 words, attach 8 documents and then save it all in just two seconds.

The CBI in the reply provided to British law officers has tried to buttress its claim that emails were genuine, the sources said.