Wednesday, May 17 2006 12:43 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: In a crucial move, the Delhi High Court today (May 17, 2006) directed Delhi Police to examine the possibility of initiating extradition proceedings against Vikas Gill, one of the absconding accused in the Jessica Lall murder case.

It also issued notices to Chandigarh-based doctor J S Bedi for giving false medical certificate in support of Gill and directed the High Court Registrar to declare the accused as a proclaimed offender.

A Division Bench of Justice Manmohan Sarin and Justice J M Malik asked the Delhi Police Counsel Mukta Gupta to examine the possibility of seeking Gill's extradition from the US as merely declaring him a proclaimed offender would not serve the purpose.

"Do you think he is going to come back to India if you declare him a proclaimed offender. The only thing you can do is to attach his property. By that you think he will rush back to India," the Bench observed while directing the state to seek his extradition.

The Court also issued notices to Harbans Singh Talwar and Harvinder Singh Talwar, both surety-holders of Vikas Gill, to appear before the Court on May 31 along with J S Bedi.

Vikas Gill, who was accused of harbouring the prime accused Manu Sharma, fled the country in October 2005 to the US and since then evading investigating agencies, police claimed.