India
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Court orders return of idol smuggler Kapoor to Germany
The Indian Express··11 Sept
The Madras High Court directed the Union government to return Subhash Kapoor from Tiruchi Central Prison to Germany. Kapoor was convicted in 2022 for illegal export of 19 idols valued above Rs 94 crore from a Tamil Nadu temple. His 10-year sentence ended in 2023. Germany refused permission to try him in four other cases under extradition speciality rules.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Tamil Nadu cannot keep Kapoor for pending idol-theft prosecutions without Germany's consent under speciality rules.
- The 2012 extradition treaty enabled India to bring him from Germany.
- Investigators may continue tracing idols linked to his Manhattan gallery.
What's Happening
- Kapoor was a US citizen and Manhattan antiquities dealer.
- Germany refused speciality consent in four cases while others stayed unresolved.
- The court held serious allegations alone cannot justify continued imprisonment.
The Extradition Treaty Limit
- India brought Kapoor here in 2012 after his 2011 detention in Germany.
- The Metropolitan Museum returned 15 sculptures once sold by him.
- Tamil Nadu police reconstructed temple theft and export networks he allegedly used.
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