Nirav Modi’s bid to reopen proceedings against his extradition to India was dismissed on Wednesday by the King’s Bench Division of London’s High Court, which ruled that the application did not meet the “exceptional circumstances” threshold required to reopen the case. The court held that the reasons advanced, including reliance on the Bhandari judgment, were insufficient to justify reopening the proceedings.The decision is a major setback for the diamond fugitive wanted in India in connection with the Punjab National Bank fraud case. The Crown Prosecution Service strongly opposed the application at the hearing and was supported by a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team traveling to London, including the lead investigating officer.In its judgment, the high court noted that the circumstances cited in the petition were not convincing enough to require reconsideration of the previous extradition order, effectively closing this legal avenue for Modi.
what is going on?
Nirav Modi has been fighting extradition to India for his alleged role in the Punjab National Bank scam, one of the country’s largest bank frauds worth Rs 13,000 crore. He has previously exhausted a number of legal remedies in the UK courts, including appealing an extradition order and applying over concerns about prison conditions and mental health.The latest attempt to reopen proceedings was based on the Bhandari ruling, which Modi’s legal team said had implications for its case. However, British courts have consistently ruled in favor of extradition, holding that the evidence against him was prima facie and that his rights would not be violated if he were returned to India.Stay tuned for more updates
