Delhi HC upholds extradition of UP resident to Oman to face murder trial
New Delhi, Nov 24: The Delhi High Court Friday upheld the extradition of a man from Uttar Pradesh to Oman to face criminal trial on charges of murder there.
Justice Amit Bansal dismissed the petition by Majibullah M Haneef challenging the decision of the Centre to extradite him upon a request from the authorities in Oman after an inquiry was undertaken by a trial court here.
The judge noted that India has an extradition treaty with the Sultanate of Oman, which states that persons accused of an offence punishable under the laws of both the countries with imprisonment for not less than one year or for more severe punishment shall be extradited.
The petitioner, who was working as a labourer in Bidiyah in Oman, is accused of committing "premeditated murder felony" which is punishable under Article 302-A of the Penal Code of Oman.
On July 31, 2019, an Omani national as well as his wife and three minor children were found dead at his home where the petitioner was engaged for whitewashing.
Justice Bansal rejected the petitioner's apprehension that he would not get a fair trial in Oman as it was governed by Sharia and the offence of murder was only punishable with death penalty there.
The court observed that Oman has assured the Indian government that the petitioner would have a fair and just trial and he would be provided with a lawyer to defend himself and an interpreter would also be provided to him during the investigation as well as the trial.
It added that legal provisions existed in Oman with regard to death penalty and its commutation and pardon.
"The present petition, along with pending applications, is dismissed and the impugned order passed by the learned ACMM is upheld. Consequently, the decision of the Union of India to extradite the petitioner to the Sultanate of Oman is upheld," the court said.
The petitioner contended that he was wrongly implicated in the present case. He said the deceased had given his ATM card along with the pin to withdraw money but when he came back, the family members were dead.
He also claimed that he touched the body of the victims to see if they were alive or not and hence his fingerprints and DNA were found on the bodies.
Besides, the petitioner, three others are also accused of murder in the matter and are stated to have absconded to India as "fugitive criminals".
The court observed that the standard of proof in an inquiry in an extradition case was not of the same level as that required in a trial in which the guilt of an accused has to be established.
In the present case, it said, sufficient material was placed by Oman to make out a prima facie case in support of extradition and it could not be said that the request for conducting the inquiry by the Centre was passed mechanically without applying its mind.
The court also observed that there was nothing to suggest that the offence for which the petitioner is charged i.e. murder, was in the nature of a political offence.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Air India resorts to cost-cutting ways amid 'tough times'; layoffs not anticipated
New Delhi/Mumbai (PTI): Hit hard by Pakistan airspace closure and Iran war, Air India has resorted to cost-cutting measures, including holding back annual increments for staff and asking them to cut discretionary spending as well as non-critical expenditures, warning of "tough times".
On Friday, Air India Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director (CEO & MD) Campbell Wilson told the staff it is going to be a "very, very difficult year" if things don't improve on the Middle East front.
A day after the loss-making airline's board discussed various cost-saving steps, Wilson, along with Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Sanjay Sharma and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) Ravindra Kumar GP, addressed the employees during a townhall on Friday where the emphasis on the need to keep a close watch on costs.
With higher jet fuel prices due to the West Asia conflict and airspace curbs, the loss-making airline's expenses have spiralled in recent times and against this backdrop, Sharma also told staffers that FY26 has seen a softening in revenue amid heightened external uncertainties.
Calling for a relentless focus on costs in these tough times, Wilson urged employees to suspend discretionary spending, renegotiate rates where feasible, and defer non-critical expenditures.
"There must be a laser-sharp focus on eliminating wastage and leakages," he said.
Stressing the need to tighten the belt for a while, Wilson sounded optimistic that travel demand would rebound and the industry would continue on its upward path.
CHRO Ravindra Kumar told staff that the airline will proceed with variable pay for the last financial year and continue with planned promotions while noting that annual increments will be deferred by at least one quarter.
"We don't anticipate layoffs," he said.
At the airline's board meeting on Thursday, various cost-saving steps, including likely furloughs, were discussed. The Tata Group-owned airline has around 24,000 employees.
Generally, furlough refers to sending staff on unpaid leaves by companies during a tough financial situation.
During the townhall, CFO Sanjay Sharma said while strong revenue growth and fleet expansion drove financial momentum through FY25, FY26 has seen a softening in revenue amid heightened external uncertainties.
Air India has seen around 40 per cent CAGR (Compounded Annual Growth Rate) in revenue between 2022 and 2025, he added.
The airline was acquired by the Tata Group from the government in January 2022.
The Air India CEO mentioned the external challenges being facing the aviation industry as a whole, including the continued closure of Pakistan airspace that is expected to persist for the foreseeable future and geopolitical conflicts leading to disruptions and airspace closures across West Asia.
Wilson, who is set to step down later this year, also flagged a sharp depreciation of the rupee and a 2.5-3 times increase in jet fuel prices, and added that these factors have adversely affected travel sentiment and consumer confidence, as per the sources.
If the Strait of Hormuz opens, oil prices fall and consumer as well as business confidence come back, there is a decent chance of a solid recovery, Wilson said, adding that unless those circumstances happen, it was going to be "a very, very difficult year".
"I feel somewhat responsible that we ended up with probably the biggest surprise of the year in the external environment which was a full-scale war in our neighbouring region in the Gulf. That has had a huge impact on airspace," he said.
For Air India, Wilson said the situation is compounded by the fact that the airline cannot fly over the neighbouring country and has to take a much longer routing for any west-bound destination.
"Every airline is reporting that they are under some sort of financial pressure as a result of higher fuel prices and economic uncertainty. So, it is unfortunately not a great environment to be running an airline," the Air India CEO said.
The Air India Group -- Air India and Air India Express -- is projected to have incurred more than Rs 22,000 crore loss in the financial year ended March 2026.
At the townhall, Wilson also highlighted various initiatives, including completion of the retrofit of its legacy narrow-body aircraft and rapid network optimisation to redeploy capacity more efficiently.
