UK court agrees to hear Nirav Modi's plea to delay extradition to India

UK court has accepted Nirav Modi's plea to reopen his extradition case, citing risk of interrogation; Indian agencies are preparing a detailed response to contest the claims

A UK court has agreed to consider a plea from Nirav Modi to “reopen” his extradition proceedings. The move could delay his return to India, where he faces charges of defrauding a bank, according to a report by Hindustan Times.

 

Following the court’s acceptance, Indian officials and investigating agencies are working quickly to send a formal response to London, aiming to prevent a prolonged legal battle.

 

Last month, Nirav Modi’s legal team submitted a request to the Westminster court in the UK to reopen his extradition appeal to India. The court has approved the application and issued a notice to the Indian government, the news report said.

 

Nirav Modi has argued — citing certain testimonies — that “if extradited to India, he will be interrogated by multiple agencies and may face torture during such interrogation.” The court has not yet set a date for hearing the plea.   

 

India prepares response

 

India is drafting a comprehensive response to be sent via official diplomatic channels, countering his claims and requesting the court to reject the application, as the extradition order was already finalised in 2022.

 

The Indian government intends to assure the court that, upon extradition, Nirav Modi will be tried in full accordance with Indian law and will not be subjected to questioning by any agency.

 

PNB fraud case

 

Nirav Modi, accused of defrauding Punjab National Bank (PNB) of ₹6,498 crore (part of a total ₹13,578 crore scam, with around ₹7,000 crore linked to his uncle Mehul Choksi), has been in Wandsworth Prison on London’s outskirts since March 19, 2019. He was arrested by Scotland Yard on India’s extradition request.

 

On February 25, 2021, a Westminster magistrates’ court ordered his extradition. The UK High Court upheld the order on November 9, 2022, rejecting his plea to appeal to the Supreme Court and exhausting his legal options.

 

Nirav Modi and his companies are alleged to have obtained credit from PNB using fraudulently issued Letters of Undertaking (LoUs) worth ₹6,498 crore. These were used to raise buyers’ credit and fund the bank’s nostro accounts through overseas branches of Indian banks. The funds were then siphoned off and laundered through foreign entities and assets.

 

Declared a fugitive economic offender under the Fugitive Economic Offenders (FEO) Act, 2018, Modi has had assets worth ₹2,598 crore attached by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). So far, ₹981 crore has been restored to the victim banks. Indian agencies are also pursuing legal action in the UK to transfer overseas assets worth ₹130 crore linked to him.