Supreme Court stays Madras High Court order returning idol dealer Subhash Kapoor to Germany

The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed a Madras High Court order that directed the Centre to take custody of antique dealer Subhash Chandra Kapoor from prison in Tamil Nadu and proceed with his return to Germany. A bench of Justices B. V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan passed the stay while hearing a challenge to the High Court's September 8 order. The Madurai Bench had allowed Kapoor's habeas corpus petition, holding that his continued detention for other offences allegedly committed before his extradition could not be sustained without Germany's consent, under the rule of specialty in the Extradition Act, 1962 and the India-Germany Extradition Treaty. Kapoor, extradited from Germany in July 2012, was convicted in November 2022 and sentenced to ten years for the theft and illegal export of 19 idols from a Tamil Nadu temple, valued at over Rs 94 crore, while four more idol-smuggling cases remain pending against him. Sources: New Indian Express, Latestly (ANI), Punjab Kesari (IANS) (New Indian Express, Latestly, English)

• The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed a Madras High Court order that directed the Centre to take custody of antique dealer Subhash Chandra Kapoor from prison in Tamil Nadu and proceed with his return to Germany.
• A bench of Justices B.
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