Days after indicting gangster Lawrence Bishnoi in a series of crimes including the killing of Canada-based Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the United States Department of Justice (DoJ) has confirmed that it will seek his extradition.Arrested in 2014, Bishnoi is now lodged in a jail in Gujarat.Responding to queries from The Indian Express, Ciaran McEvoy, Public Affairs Officer, US Attorney’s Office, Central District of California, said in an email: “Bishnoi himself remains incarcerated in India. We intend to seek his extradition to the United States. (Extradition is a lengthy legal process and often takes years to complete.)”Also Read | Can India refuse to extradite Lawrence Bishnoi? Here’s what the law saysEarlier this week, the US DoJ had charged 37 people in the indictment as part of its ‘Operation Hardball’ — a coordinated action by law enforcement from the US, Canada and Europe which led to the arrest of 24 people linked to three Indian crime syndicates with transnational networks.Besides Bishnoi and his aide Goldy Brar, the other gang leaders who have been named in the US indictment are Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, who is lodged in an Assam jail, and Canada-based Ravinder Singh Dhanda.Bishnoi and Brar have been charged with ordering Nijjar’s assassination. The FBI has announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to Brar’s arrest.Also Read | Punjab Police Inspector named in extortion racket, US to seek extraditionExtradition between India and the US is governed by the bilateral Extradition Treaty signed in 1997 and India’s Extradition Act, 1962. However, the most significant legal consideration in Bishnoi’s case is that he is already in judicial custody and faces numerous criminal prosecutions across India.Story continues below this adAlso in Explained | Hardeep Singh Nijjar case explained: Canada’s latest findings and the US chargesThis means India could legally argue that Bishnoi must first face trial — and, if convicted, serve any sentence — in the murder, extortion and organised crime cases pending against him before any extradition takes place.There is no clarity on when the US DoJ will send the request for Bishnoi’s extradition. As per the procedure, the extradition request would be prepared by the US DoJ and transmitted by the US State Department to India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The MEA, in consultation with the Ministry of Home Affairs and agencies such as the CBI, would examine whether the request conforms to the treaty and the Extradition Act.Also Read | Tahawwur Rana on way to face justice in India. What is the story of the extradition of this Mumbai 26/11 terror attack accused?McEvoy said the trial date for Dhanda gang members has been set for August 31 at the Los Angeles court, and for Bhagwanpuria gang members a day later, at the same court. “The odds are better than excellent that those dates will get continued,” the official said, indicating that the cases are likely to be rescheduled.On the Bishnoi gang, McEvoy said they have not been arraigned “in our jurisdiction”. “Once they are transferred here, they will be,” the DoJ official said.Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More Tags:Lawrence Bishnoi