JK News Today
Taking a decisive stance against fugitive criminals, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the guidance of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, India has brought back 274 fugitive criminals from 36 countries since 2019. To strengthen action against fugitives, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi enacted the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act in 2018. Under the guidance of Home Minister Shri Amit Shah, India has developed an integrated, intelligence-based, and technology-driven model against fugitives, paving the way for stricter measures against them and facilitating their return to India.
Before 2014, the country’s extradition framework had become outdated, and India had extradition treaties with only 37 countries. There was also no dedicated law to deal with economic fugitives or to confiscate their assets. Between 2004 and 2013, India secured the extradition of only four fugitives per year on average, while 110 extradition requests remained pending. In addition, incomplete documentation and slow processing made the extradition process highly cumbersome, often leading foreign courts to deny extradition requests. India’s extradition efforts also faced legal and judicial hurdles, including the principles of double jeopardy and dual criminality, which frequently resulted in the rejection of extradition requests. Furthermore, the absence of effective coordination and a unified strategy among the Ministry of Home Affairs and other departments hindered progress. The sharing of information on fugitives, location tracking, and the issuance of Red Corner Notices were also moved at a slow pace.
Previous governments lacked the political will to bring back fugitives; Modi government has made the extradition of fugitives a ‘national priority’. In line with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision, the Union Home Minister has emphasized a three-pronged strategy against fugitives: global outreach, strong coordination, and smart diplomacy. Shri Amit Shah has described the issue of fugitive offenders as one that is intrinsically linked to the country’s sovereignty, economic stability, law and order, and national security.
The Modi Government enacted the NIA (Amendment) Act and the UAPA (Amendment) Act in 2019, and from 2020 onwards, the process of bringing fugitive offenders back to India was taken up in a mission mode. As a result, enforcement efforts were no longer confined to proscribed organizations alone. The scope of action was expanded to include individual terrorists, handlers, funding networks, and support systems based abroad, significantly strengthening India’s ability to pursue fugitives and dismantle their networks.
