Choksi seeks copy of CBI application declaring him proclaimed offender

Mehul Choksi, a prime accused in the multi-million dollar PNB scam, has sought a copy of the CBI's application to declare him a proclaimed offender.

Earlier this month, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had moved a plea before special Judge V C Barde declaring Choksi a proclaimed offender saying he had failed to respond to a non-bailable warrant.

Choksi moved his application on Saturday through advocates Vijay Aggarwal and Ashul Agarwal in which he argued that the declaration of the proclaimed offender without hearing him was a violation of his right of natural justice.

Choksi has already filed an application for cancellation of non-bailable warrants which is pending and unless the said application is heard and disposed of, he cannot be declared a proclaimed offender, much less without giving him an opportunity to be heard, his lawyers said.

In another application filed by A S Nair, he has sought copies of the data stored in the Gitanjali Gems Limited server seized by the CBI from the firm's office in Bandra-Kurla Complex.

The application is mainly filed on the ground that the CBI has an obligation to place on record all the material they have seized and as the entire data of the company was stored in the server, the same is important for preparing the defence, it said.

The court has issued notices to CBI in connection with both applications and adjourned the matter till October 23.

Diamantaires Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi are accused of cheating the Punjab National Bank of over Rs 13,000 crore by obtaining Letters of Undertaking (guarantee to overseas banks for credit facility) fraudulently.