States must set up special prisons for fugitives: Shah, Pg16

Key Highlights:

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah urged states to establish special prisons meeting international standards for fugitives.
• The call aims to prevent fugitives from using prison conditions as a reason to avoid extradition to India.
• Shah emphasized better coordination between passport authorities and law enforcement to flag or cancel passports upon issuance of a Red Corner Notice.
• A special campaign is to be launched to convert Blue Corner Notices into Red Corner Notices, with dedicated cells in each state.

Detailed Insights:

• The initiative seeks to adopt a zero-tolerance approach towards terrorists and economic offenders harming India from abroad.
• The Multi Agency Centre (MAC), along with the CBI and IB, will form a special task force for smooth implementation of fugitive extradition processes.
• Discussions at the conference included using cyber technology, tracing financial crimes, and simplifying extradition processes.
• The Home Minister stressed the importance of bringing fugitives back to India to uphold the country's sovereignty, economic stability, and national security.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Extradition: The legal process where one country transfers a suspected or convicted criminal to another country for trial or punishment.
• Red Corner Notice: An international alert issued by Interpol to request law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action.
• Blue Corner Notice: An international alert issued by Interpol to collect additional information about a person's identity, location, or activities in relation to a crime.