Judgement on Ravi Shankaran's plea for extradition by Dec 30

The British court hearing India's plea for extradition of Ravi Shankaran, the main accused in the Naval War Room leak case, will deliver its judgement on December 30 or even earlier. All arguments on behalf of both the prosecution and the defence concluded today after written submissions.

The Westminster Magistrate court district Judge Nicholas Evans after hearing the arguments said, "the court will deliver the judgement on Friday, December 30, however, it may be delivered earlier in which case all concerned parties will be informed".

Shankaran, the 46-year-old relative of former Naval Chief Arun Prakash, was arrested in London in May last year on the basis of an Interpol Red Corner notice secured against him by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which has pressed for his early extradition to India.

Retired Lt Commander Ravi Shankaran was accused of smuggling sensitive classified information out of the Navy war room and leaking it to a submarine manufacturer in the sensational 2005 Scorpene deal scam. The CBI had despatched a two-member team to London to assist British law officers in the extradition trial. It also furnished a 50-page reply to objections raised by the defence on emails submitted as evidence in the court.