Fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi faced a setback as the UK High Court denied his plea to challenge the extradition order to India. The court dismissed his petition, citing a lack of exceptional circumstances to warrant reopening the case. Nirav Modi had argued that he might be at risk of torture if sent back to India, similar to a previous case involving Sanjay Bhandari.
The Crown Prosecution Service advocate, supported by a team from the Central Bureau of Investigation, presented arguments countering Nirav Modi’s claims during the proceedings. The court, referring to the Bhandari judgment, emphasized that the grounds presented were insufficient to justify revisiting the extradition ruling. Nirav Modi is a key figure wanted in India in connection with the Punjab National Bank fraud case.
Nirav Modi, who left India in 2018 before the scam investigation began, was arrested in the UK in 2019. Despite his extradition approval, the UK courts found no legal barriers to sending him back to India. The courts had previously rejected his appeals and assured appropriate treatment upon his return to India.
