Delhi HC stays order recommending extradition of Puneet, accused in hit-and-run case in Australia

The Delhi High Court has put an interim stay till September 20 on a trial court order recommending the extradition of Puneet, an accused in a hit-and-run incident that took place in Australia in 2008. The Delhi High Court has issued notice to the Centre on Puneet's plea seeking quashing of the trial court order.

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has put an interim stay till September 20 on a trial court order recommending the extradition of Puneet, an accused in a hit-and-run incident that took place in Australia in 2008. The trial court recommended to the Central government the extradition of Puneet to Australia for facing trial for the offences of culpable driving, negligently causing serious injury and improper use of a foreign travel document. It also said that there is a prima-facie case against Puneet for initiating a trial.

The Delhi High Court has issued notice to the Centre on Puneet's plea seeking quashing of the trial court order. "Till the next date of hearing, the petitioner will not be extradited out of the country, " Justice Mukta Gupta said. Puneet challenged the trial court order in Delhi High Court. Aggrieved by the judgment dated August 12, whereby the request of the respondent Union of India to extradite the petitioner based on a letter of request dated February 3, 2010 was granted, the petitioner sought to quash the order dated August 12, passed by the trial court.

Petitioner Puneet raised the grounds that the request for extraditing the petitioner was received on February 3, 2010 whereas the treaty, based whereon the extradition is sought, came into operation only on January 20, 2011. Puneet was represented by advocates Kanhaiya Singhal, Prasanna, Rishabh Jain, Udit Bakshi, Chetan Bhardwaj, Heena Tangri and Ajay Kumar. Senior Panel Counsel, Central Government, Union of India Nidhi Banga appeared for Centre and lawyer Raghav Bansal represented Australian High Commission.

The Centre had sought to extradite Puneet to face trial in Australia. Puneet, a youth, is accused of killing a man in Australia in 2008. He was charged by Victoria Police for causing the death of 19-year-old Dean Hofstee and seriously injuring 20-year-old Clancy Coker in a road accident that happened in 2008. Both victims were students from Queensland.

ANI