UK: Pak-Origin Ex-Home Secretary Blocks Dawood Aide And Surat Blast Mastermind Hanif Tiger’s Extradition To India

In a setback for India, Britain has refused its request for extradition of Tiger Hanif, a close aide of most-wanted fugitive Dawood Ibrahim and the mastermind behind two bomb blasts which rocked Gujarat's Surat in 1993, reports Times of India.

It should be noted that Hanif's extradition was rejected by the former Pakistani-origin home secretary of Britain Sajid Javid despite approval by the judiciary in the United Kingdom (UK) in favour of his return to India in 2012.

Hanif, the key conspirator in the blasts, had thereafter also lost his appeal against extradition to India in the London High Court. The London High Court had gone as far as to refuse his plea to certify on a point of law, denying him the ability to approach the Supreme Court.

After losing in the high court in 2013, Hanif had approached the then home secretary Javid and pitched his plea on the grounds of human rights.

However, after years of pondering over the files, the UK Home Secretary in 2018-19, Sajiv Javid, reportedly refused extradition of Tiger Hanif. Notably, the home secretary is the final authority to order extradition after a request has gone through courts.