₹14,000 Cr PNB Scam Accused Nirav Modi’s Extradition To India Approved By UK Govt

Mumbai: United Kingdom Home Minister Preeti Patel on Friday approved the extradition of India’s fugitive Nirav Modi. He now has 14 days to appeal to the UK High Court against the extradition order.

It comes after the businessman, wanted in India in the $ 2 billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam case, lost a legal battle against deportation to India in the UK on 25 February.

The Westminster Magistrate Court of Britain, in its 83-page order, had struck down Modi’s defence that he won’t be given a fair trial in India.

The court also dismissed another controversy by Modi’s defence team over his mental health deteriorating due to a pandemic in India and possible human rights violations.

“There is no evidence that if extradited Nirav Modi will not get justice,” said UK court, striking down Modi’s defence that the latter will not get a fair trial.

District Judge Samuel Gooji also noted that Barrack 12 of Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail, where Modi would most likely be sent once to India, seem to be bigger than the quarters of Wandsworth Prison in southwest London, where the undertrial businessman is currently lodged.

“The government of India has provided comprehensive assurance regarding keeping Nirav Modi in Barrack number 12 in Arthur Road prison,” noted Judge Goozee.

Modi will be lodged in one of the three cells of barrack number 12 at Mumbai’s high-security Arthur Road jail once he is brought back to India where he will undergo trial. The 2.83-acre prison, which was built in 1926, is one of the most important landmarks of the city and houses 2,680 inmates.

The 50-year old jeweller is currently accommodated at London’s Wandsworth Prison since March 19, 2019.

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