Court cancels warrant against Kumar Pillai in 2007 murder case

After Pillai was acquitted in all three cases, his lawyer moved an application before the special MCOCA court seeking to allow him to return to Hong Kong. However, when Pillais repatriation plea was pending, the crime branch moved an application before another court seeking a warrant against him in the 2007 murder case.

A sessions court in Mumbai on Monday cancelled the open warrant issued by it earlier against alleged gangster Kumar Pillai in connection with a 2007 murder case. Pillai, a Hong Kong passport-holder, was originally extradited to India to face prosecution in three cases. He was arrested in Singapore in 2016 following a 2012 Red Corner Notice issued against him. After Pillai was acquitted in all three cases, his lawyer moved an application before the special MCOCA court seeking to allow him to return to Hong Kong. However, when Pillai's repatriation plea was pending, the crime branch moved an application before another court seeking a warrant against him in the 2007 murder case. The crime branch stated that the scrutiny of his records showed that he had been wanted in the 2007 murder and attempted murder case. The sessions court had allowed the crime branch's plea and issued an open-dated warrant last month. Subsequently, Pillai's lawyer, Pankaj Kavale, moved a plea for its cancellation. Meanwhile, during the pendency of this plea, the special MCOCA court, on February 13, ordered police to immediately begin the process to repatriate Pillai to his home country. Citing a Supreme Court ruling, the MCOCA judge noted that the applicant cannot be tried in India for any other case, unless it is allowed by the country from which he was extradited. These facts were brought to the court's notice during the hearing of Pillai's plea for cancellation of the warrant. The court, after considering all the facts and circumstances, cancelled Pillai's warrant.

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