Ravi Shankaran extradition trial to resume later this month

After two days of "in camera" hearing here, the extradition trial of Ravi Shankaran, the main accused in the Naval war-room leak case will resume later this month, a British court decided today.

The city of Westminster magistrates court spent considerable time today looking into documents presented by India as evidence against Shankaran, who has been fighting his extradition to India.

Shankaran, 46, a close relative of the then Naval Chief Admiral Arun Prakash, has faced an Interpol red corner notice since 2006 before he was arrested by the Metropolitan police on April 21 last year in London.

Retired Lt. Commander Shankaran is the prime accused in the Naval war room spy scandal in which a number of documents from the Directorate of Naval Operations were to be leaked to arms dealers.

The hearings of the case till now have been involved with procedural issues about the admissibility of evidence sent by the Indian government to facilitate the extradition.

District judge Nicholas Evans at the City of Westminster magistrates' court said that he had acceded to the request for "in camera" hearing by the prosecutor John Hardy.

"In camera" hearing excludes press and public to be present.

The judge said yesterday that some issues in the case relate to "matters, which in this country would have been considered under the Official Secrets Act."

"I am using my powers to hear the evidence in camera," Evans said.

The next hearing will be held later this month after the court decides on the date.