Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Nov 9: The fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi’s plea against being extradited to India in connection with the 14,000 crore Punjab National Bank Scam (PNB Scam) was denied on Wednesday by the High Court of Justice in London, according to PTI.
Justice Robert Jay and Lord Justice Jeremy Stuart-Smith announced the decision.
The High Court’s decision to grant Modi (51) leave to appeal was based on both Section 91 of the Extradition Act of 2003, which also deals with mental health, and Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which allows for hearings on whether it would be “unjust or oppressive” to extradite him.
…we are far from satisfied that Modi’s mental condition and the risk of suicide are such that it would be either unjust or oppressive to extradite him,” the judges reportedly held.
By threatening to assassinate Ashish Lad, one of his company’s directors, Modi was accused of conspiring to steal, launder money, and corrupt the course of law.
In connection with the PNB Scam, he is the subject of two separate sets of criminal proceedings, one before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the other by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The Indian government submitted its initial request for Modi’s extradition on July 27, 2018. In February 2021, the Westminster Magistrate’s Court in the United Kingdom authorised Modi’s extradition to India.
The UK Home Secretary Priti Patel approved Modi’s extradition in early April 2021 as a result of the court’s finding that there is a “prima facie” case of money laundering against him.
Additionally, the High Court of England and Wales denied his request to challenge his extradition in June 2021. Since his arrest in March 2019, Modi has remained detained at Wandsworth Prison in London.
