The lawyer for an Indian national who killed an Australian student in a hit and run in Melbourne, before fleeing the country, has said his client will surrender to Australian authorities if certain conditions are met.
In an interview with , defence counsel Kanhaiya Kumar Singhal said his client is “ready to face justice,” if the Victorian authorities guaranteed that he would not be sentenced for more two years.
He also added that the authorities should assure Puneet that there would be no threat to his life in jail.
“Let the government of Australia give us an offer that he will be sentenced to a maximum of two years and surety of his safe life in jail. He will immediately surrender," said Mr Singhal.
Mr Singhal claimed that Puneet was concerned he would be sentenced to 20 to 30 years if he returned to Australia.
"Even murderers don't get such a sentence," he added.
Earlier in May, Puneet’s father Naresh Kumar had also raised similar concerns for his son’s safety and treatment upon trial in Australia.
Meanwhile, responding to Mr Singhal’s conditions, Victoria's acting Attorney-General Gavin Jennings said that the court would determine a suitable punishment for Puneet.
“Puneet Puneet needs to return to Victoria to face the consequences of his actions, and we won't rest until justice is served," Mr Jennings told Herald Sun.
Background:
Puneet was allegedly drunk when the car he was driving in Melbourne crashed into two pedestrians, both students from Queensland.
The crash killed 19-year-old student Dean Hofstee and injured another friend, 20-year-old Clancy Coker, on the fatal night in October 2008.
Police at the time said he was over the legal alcohol limit and was estimated to be driving at 148 km/h. Puneet later pleaded guilty to culpable driving offenses in Magistrates Court in Melbourne in 2008.
He was later granted bail on conditions that he wouldn't travel outside Victoria, would not drive and would surrender his passport.
But despite these conditions, Puneet managed to flee to India in 2009 using his friend Sukhcharanjit Singh’s passport. However, he was arrested four years later, on his wedding day.
Puneet’s extradition trial:
Over the past five years, Mr Singhal has made multiple attempts to stop his client’s extradition to Melbourne, prolonging the anguish of the families of the accident victims, who want him to face justice in Australia.
Apart from not showing up in the court twice, the lawyer has made various claims against his client’s extradition including Puneet’s mental and physical health.
In a previous hearing in February this year, Mr Singhal told the court that Australia wants to have him extradited for ‘political reasons.’
"This extradition is being called only for political reasons and to give benefit to Victoria's politicians. Puneet is being targeted for this reason and this reason alone," Mr Singhal had argued in the court, reported AAP.
The next hearing in the case has been set for July 15.
