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Indian surgeon to fight extradition

Melbourne: The legal battle to extradite rogue surgeon Jayant Patel from the U.S. could last more than four years with the India-born doctor planning to fight Australia’s attempt to bring him back into the country to face charges relating to the deaths of several of his patients.

Vijay Mehta, a senior Texas-based surgeon who has defended Patel in the press, said his friend was preparing for a long court battle.

“He is going to fight the extradition,” Mr. Mehta, Chief of the vascular and thoracic surgery at a Texan hospital, was quoted as saying in the Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday.

“He doesn’t want to go to Australia because he doesn’t think he will get a fair trial. He thinks the system there is biased and they have already made up their mind,” he said.

Mr. Patel’s defiant stance came as formal extradition proceedings began in the U.S. — PTI

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