New Delhi, July 29: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reiterated on Tuesday that fugitive diamond trader Nirav Modi will be brought back to India from the United Kingdom, but this is contingent upon the completion of ongoing legal processes there.
During a bi-weekly media briefing in New Delhi, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal responded to media inquiries, stating, “In the case of Nirav Modi, as we have mentioned before, there are still some judicial processes ongoing in the UK. Once these legal procedures are completed, the extradition process will move forward.”
He emphasized that the government is closely monitoring these legal proceedings. The stance is clear: all fugitive criminals should be brought back to India to face the judicial process here.
In March, the High Court of Justice’s King’s Bench Division in London dismissed Nirav Modi’s plea to reopen the hearing against his extradition order.
During the proceedings, lawyers from the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service presented arguments, supported by a special team from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which included investigators who traveled to London to assist in the hearings.
This plea to reopen the case was filed based on a decision made by the UK High Court in the case of intermediary Sanjay Bhandari.
Nirav Modi is wanted in India for his involvement in the Punjab National Bank fraud case, where it is alleged that he used fake guarantees issued in the name of the government bank to secure loans from abroad. He fled India in January 2018.
Shortly after, the CBI initiated an investigation into the fraud. Following his arrest in the UK in 2019, British courts approved his extradition to India. During the hearings, the courts accepted assurances regarding his treatment in India and found no legal impediments to his extradition.
Subsequently, his earlier appeals were also dismissed.
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