India, UK Discuss Issues That Affect Extradition Of Fugitives, Visa Problems:- India, UK have discussed the issues that affect the extradition of fugitives “across the board”. Apart from this, the problems faced in granting visas to Indians, including students by British authorities were discussed.

The issues were raised by the Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi with the British authorities. Mehrishi was in the UK, as part of the India-UK Home Affairs Dialogue, which concluded yesterday.

“The deportation of fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya and former IPL chief Lalit Modi, if they were raised specifically with the UK, were asked Mr Mehrishi said, “rather than specific cases, the issues that affect extradition “across the board” were discussed.””

Mehrishi addressing the reporters at the Indian High Commission at the end of his week-long visit said, "Mr Mallya's case is sub-judice. The issues around extradition discussed during the meetings only focused on any difficulties that may arise in extradition cases in general.”

Since March 2016, Mallya (61) has been in the UK and on April 18 was arrested by the Scotland Yard on an extradition warrant. Mallya is the former chief of the now-grounded Kingfisher Airlines. The airliner owes nearly Rs. 9,000 crore to various Indian banks.

He is fighting the extradition case in a UK court, after being released on bail. Mallya had fled to India on March 2 last year. And in connection with a money laundering case, the Indian PM who is in the UK is also wanted by the Indian authorities, in connection with a money laundering case.

An extradition treaty has been signed in 1992 between the two countries, India and UK, but so far only one extradition has taken place under the arrangement - that of Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel. “India raised the visa problems issues faced by Indians, including delays in student visa decisions, the high amount charged for the UK visas and the lengthy waiting period for Indian tourist visas” during the talks Mr. Mehrishi held in the UK. Moreover, India also raised the issues of women abandoned by Indian-origin and NRI spouses from the UK back in India. It was agreed that next week the follow-up meetings would take place wit-h senior Indian High Commission diplomats.

The Union home secretary and Brandon Lewis, UK minister for immigration and others held talks over the past week, most of which are not in the "public domain". Issues about the illegal Indian immigrants overstaying in the UK was also raised by the UK.

"Approximately, the UK has been able to identify in the region of about 1,000 illegal immigrants from India a year. We made it clear that it is a matter of policy for India that anybody identified as an Indian who is illegally in the UK, we will expedite his or her return," Mr Mehrishi said.

"The only issue is about cross-checks and time taken because sometimes illegal immigrants, understandably, destroy their documents and therefore identifying them as Indians takes a lot of time," he said.

During UK Prime Minister Theresa May's visit to India in November 2016, the India-UK Home Affairs Dialogue was set up. The first meeting under the process took place, in New Delhi in May, and the meeting in London was co-chaired by Mr Mehrishi with UK Permanent Secretary Philip Rutnam.

SUPRAJA