The way has been cleared to bring fugitive Heera Karabori Nirav Modi to India. The UK Home Minister has agreed and approved the demand for extradition of India. A CBI official said that on Friday, Britain’s home minister Preeti Patel confirmed the decision to extradite Nirav Modi to India.
Earlier, a London court had agreed to Nirav Modi’s extradition to India while hearing the case and dismissed all his pleas saying that he would be taken care of in India’s jail. However, experts say that Nirav Modi still has a way to appeal and he can challenge the order in the High Court.
Nirav Modi and his maternal uncle Mehul Choksi have been accused of cheating loans worth more than Rs 14,000 crore in association with Punjab National Bank officials. This fraud was done through a letter of guarantee. Two major cases of bank scam and money laundering in India have been registered by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate. Apart from this, some other cases are also registered against him in India. His extradition to Britain was sought in August 2018 at the request of CBI and ED.
Nirav Modi, who fled India after the scam, is currently lodged in London’s Wandsworth Jail. To avoid extradition, Nirav Modi had said in court that he is mentally ill. He also claimed to not have facilities in India’s jail. However, the court rejected these arguments of Nirav Modi.
In February, the Westminster Magistrate Court ordered the extradition of Nirav Modi, ruling in favor of the Government of India. However, Home Minister Preeti Patel’s signature on the extradition order does not mean that there is no obstacle in bringing Nirav Modi to India. He has several legal avenues left, including options such as appeals to the Supreme Court and asylum seeking. Experts also cite the case of liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who is on bail in the UK due to a confidential issue. He is believed to have sought political asylum in Britain.
Diamond businessman will remain in Arthur Road jail
After being brought to India, in which jail Nirav Modi will stay and how many numbers will remain in the barracks, it has already been finalized before his arrival. Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail has a special cell ready to shut Nirav Modi behind bars. He will be placed in one of the three cells in barrack number 12. Let me tell you that this 12 number barrack of the Federal Jail is a very high security barrack.
