For years, India’s requests to Interpol for Red Notices—international alerts seeking the detention of fugitives—were bogged down by delays that could stretch beyond a year. Now, according to CBI Director Praveen Sood, the process has been compressed dramatically. Speaking at a conference in New Delhi on Thursday, Mr. Sood said that the average processing time has dropped from 14 months to just three.
The change, he noted, reflects a broader effort by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to align its procedures with global standards and remove bureaucratic backlogs that had long frustrated investigators. “Only eight proposals for issuing Interpol notices are pending with agencies currently,” Mr. Sood said, describing it as an unprecedented level of efficiency.
Renewed Focus on Fugitive Recovery
Mr. Sood’s remarks came during the inaugural session of a conference titled “Extradition of Fugitives: Challenges and Strategies,” organized by the CBI and inaugurated by Home Minister Amit Shah. The gathering brought together senior law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and policymakers to discuss one of India’s thorniest challenges: bringing fugitives to justice across borders.
India currently has 338 extradition requests pending with various countries, Mr. Sood said. Despite improvements in coordination with foreign governments and Interpol, extradition remains a protracted and politically sensitive process.
“While we have made progress, there is a lot that still needs to be done to match the numbers achieved by other countries,” Sood added.
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Progress Amid Persistent Obstacles
The CBI’s newfound speed in obtaining Red Notices marks a clear departure from the past. Yet the ultimate success of these notices depends on the willingness of foreign governments to act on them. Many fugitives—some facing charges of fraud, corruption, or violent crime—find refuge in jurisdictions with complex legal or diplomatic ties to India.
Legal experts note that while Red Notices serve as valuable tools to locate fugitives, they do not compel any country to make an arrest. “A Red Notice is an alert, not an order,” said a senior law officer familiar with extradition proceedings. “It requires trust, reciprocity, and often political will to translate into action.”
An Unfinished Agenda
Despite these structural limits, India has seen tangible results. Mr. Sood said 35 fugitives have been returned to India in 2025 so far—a figure that underscores growing cooperation but also highlights the scale of the challenge ahead. Many more remain at large, shielded by overlapping legal systems and diplomatic sensitivities.
For New Delhi, the momentum reflects both domestic pressure to deliver justice and an evolving diplomatic posture that emphasizes accountability across borders. The CBI’s faster processing times may be a step forward, but as officials acknowledge, extradition remains less a sprint than a marathon—one that India is only beginning to run more efficiently.
