Narain appeals against order for extradition

Press, 29 August 1986, Page 4

Narain appeals against order for extradition

NZPA-AAP Sdney A commune leader, aged 50, ordered by a Sydney court to return to New Zealand to face charges of assault and illegal detention, has appealed against the decision on the ground that publicity would prejudice a fair trial. Amrit Lal Narain, formerly of Greytown in Wairarapa, was ordered by Judge Hyde in the Castlereagh Street Court to be placed in the custody of a New Zealand police officer in Sydney on Monday at 4 p.m., unless the extradition order was stayed in the meantime. Narain’s legal representative, Mr Maurice Nefi, Q.C., immediately appealed to the Federal Court against the extradition. Narain was arrested in Sydney in January and charged with illegal detention and assault arising from incidents in New Zealand between 1983 and 1985 on an ashram he ran at Greytown. The New Zealand police alleged that Narain assaulted a boy, aged 2, and imprisoned a woman in a 4m-foot deep pit in his garage as a treatment for epilepsy'.

In making yesterday’s order. Judge Hyde commented on the crossexamination of Narain’s witnesses, whom his solicitor had described as “honest and believable." Judge Hyde said, “However, the cross-examina-tion of each witness in my opinion was sufficient lb raise in my mind an impression of an influence; in some witnesses light, and in others fairly strong.” Narain has been in the spotlight in New Zealand since the late 1970’s when he travelled along the east 'Coast of New Zealand’s North Island speaking and holding healing sessions at Maori settlements. These sessions attracted crowds of several thousand. Narain went to Australia early last year with several members of his ashram and while there helped launch a pop group made up of family members and produced an album and a video clip which have yet to be released. Narain said he had hoped he would have been able to get his side of the allegations against him made clear in the lyrics of songs by the pop group.