India, April 8 -- The Delhi high court on Wednesday dismissed a plea by Christian Michel James, the middleman in the 2010 AugustaWestland VVIP chopper deal, seeking release from prison as he has served the maximum sentence for the offences for which he was extradited.

"We find no merit in the present petition. The same is accordingly dismissed," a bench of justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja said. A detailed copy of the verdict was awaited.

James approached the high court against a trial court's August 7, 2025, order denying his request to be released from prison. He challenged Article 17 of the India-UAE extradition treaty, allowing prosecution for "connected offences" as well.

Advocate Aljo K Joseph, who represented James, said...