Suspect seeks habeas corpus from High Court

A terrorism suspect whose extradition to India was approved by a court last year has applied for habeas corpus from the High Court. Ramanjit Singh is accused by New Delhi of orchestrating a jailbreak in 2016 and being involved in a string of terrorist attacks and political killings. Magistrate Pang Leung-ting of the Eastern Court endorsed Singh's extradition in 2022, which is currently pending approval from the chief executive. In a hearing on Friday, Singh's lawyer argued that Pang had erred in his ruling, and that the court should either set his client free or return his case to the lower court. The lawyer also said Singh faces political persecution by the Indian government, and will likely be tortured if he's brought back to India. Singh has been on an Interpol global watch list, and has been held in custody in Hong Kong over the past five years.