India’s CBI’s persistent opposition thwarts fugitive’s tenth attempt at release; India’s extradition efforts gain traction in UK and Belgium
Fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi has once again failed to secure bail from the High Court of Justice in London, marking his tenth unsuccessful attempt to be released from Wandsworth prison where he has been held since March 2019.
The latest plea was rejected by the UK High Court’s King’s Bench Division on Wednesday, following a strong opposition mounted by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), acting on behalf of the Indian government. A senior team from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had travelled from India to attend the hearing and assist the UK authorities with key documents and legal support.
Modi is the prime accused in one of India’s largest banking frauds, involving the Punjab National Bank (PNB), where he allegedly siphoned off ₹6,498 crore through the fraudulent use of Letters of Undertaking (LoUs). His uncle and co-accused Mehul Choksi is believed to have defrauded Indian banks of an even larger sum — over ₹7,000 crore.
Together, the duo fled India just before the CBI registered its first case in February 2018. While Modi remains incarcerated in the UK, legal proceedings are simultaneously progressing against Choksi in Belgium, where he was detained last month.
Modi’s extradition has already been approved by UK courts, and Wednesday’s bail denial further strengthens the Indian government’s position. Officials say he has repeatedly tried to argue that he is not a flight risk, but British judges have consistently sided with the CPS and Indian investigators, citing both the seriousness of the charges and his access to significant financial resources abroad.
Meanwhile, in a parallel legal front, a court in Antwerp is scheduled to begin hearing India’s extradition request for Choksi on Friday, 17 May. Indian authorities, sources say, have submitted fresh evidence to bolster their case after Choksi’s initial bail was denied by Belgian judges.
With simultaneous legal victories in London and Brussels, India’s multi-agency pursuit of both fugitives appears to be entering a decisive phase. Officials in New Delhi remain cautiously optimistic that Modi and Choksi will eventually be brought back to India to face trial.
