Madurai: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has ordered that idol-smuggling convict Subash Chandra Kapoor be legally extradited to Germany after completion of his sentence.
Kapoor was sentenced to 10 years in prison in a case involving the theft and smuggling of ancient idols from the Varadaraja Perumal temple at Suthamalli near Udayarpalayam in Ariyalur district. The order was passed by the Kumbakonam Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court on November 1, 2022. He is currently lodged in the Tiruchirappalli Central Prison.
In his petition, Kapoor said he had been in custody since 2011 and claimed that his sentence period ended on October 31, 2022, but that he continued to be held unlawfully. He also stated that he is a German national.
He referred to requests made by the Idol Wing-CID to the German government for permission to extradite him to India to face other idol-smuggling cases. He said one request relating to four cases was rejected, while another request concerning six cases remained pending as Germany had not taken a decision.
A Division Bench comprising Justices A.D. Jagadish Chandira and N. Gunasekaran directed the Union Home Secretary to take steps to legally hand him over to the German government within two weeks.
