UK court rejects Nirav Modi’s bid to delay extradition

A British court has rejected fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi’s request to reopen his extradition order, bringing him closer to facing charges in India, Rajshekhar Jha reported.Officials said the King’s Bench Bench of the High Court, while delivering its judgment, noted that the petition and the circumstances surrounding it were not exceptional and required a re-examination of the previous extradition order. The CBI has been seeking Nirav’s extradition in connection with a case punjab national bank scamproceedings have been ongoing since 2018. CBI accuses Nirav Modi of defrauding PNB of Rs 6.5kcrThe CBI bank fraud case accuses Nirav Modi of defrauding PNB of Rs 6,498.2 crore.After his arrest in the UK in 2019, the court approved his extradition and dismissed an earlier appeal, finding there was no legal impediment and accepting assurances about his treatment in India.Although a temporary legal hurdle delayed the process, the hurdle was lifted in August 2025.Nirav Modi has applied to reopen his appeal, citing concerns about possible ill-treatment and questioning whether assurances provided by Indian authorities were sufficient to protect his rights. He has been held in a British prison since March 2019.A CBI spokesman said the Crown Prosecution Service was assisted by a CBI task force, which traveled to London to attend the hearing. “The re-opening petition was filed in light of the Bhandari judgment; however, with sustained and coordinated efforts by the investigating agencies, this challenge has been successfully overcome,” a senior official said.