Fugitive diamond trader Nirav Modi suffered another legal setback on Wednesday after the High Court of Justice, King’s Bench Division in London rejected his plea to reopen proceedings against his extradition to India. The court ruled that the application did not meet the threshold of “exceptional circumstances” required to revisit an already settled matter.
The petition was argued by the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service, supported by a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team that travelled to London for the hearing.
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Officials said the reopening request relied heavily on developments linked to the Sanjay Bhandari case, but Indian authorities successfully countered the arguments with coordinated legal and investigative efforts.
Nirav Modi has been in custody in the UK since March 2019 following his arrest in connection with the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case.
Indian agencies, led by the CBI, have been pursuing his extradition since 2018.
UK courts had previously approved his extradition, rejecting multiple appeals and accepting assurances from the Indian government regarding prison conditions and his treatment upon return.
A temporary legal hurdle delaying extradition was removed in August 2025.
In his latest attempt, Nirav Modi argued that new evidence constituted “supervening events” that warranted reopening the case.
His plea cited concerns about potential torture, threats to his life, and alleged shortcomings in India’s prison system.
He relied on observations made in the Bhandari judgment and referred to the US State Department’s 2024 human rights report on India to support his claims.
However, the High Court dismissed these arguments, stating that they did not significantly alter the original risk assessment.
The development comes amid a series of legal proceedings involving the diamntaire in both the UK and India.
Back in India, a special CBI court in Mumbai recently allowed the Enforcement Directorate to auction two vehicles seized from Modi, noting that their value was depreciating as the trial remains pending. Proceeds from the sale would be secured in a fixed deposit.
Nirav Modi, declared a fugitive economic offender, is accused of defrauding PNB of over Rs 6,400 crore through fraudulent financial instruments.
Despite repeated legal challenges, courts in the UK have consistently upheld the extradition order, bringing him closer to being returned to India to stand trial.
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Published On:
Mar 25, 2026 23:50 IST
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