Nirav Modi has repeatedly applied for bail, but U.K. courts have rejected the pleas, citing him as a “real and substantial flight risk.”
| Photo Credit: ANI
A London court will hear fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi’s petition, on November 23, to reopen his extradition trial on the grounds that he may face interrogation by Indian agencies if repatriated, a claim officials are expected to counter with assurances that he will not be questioned.
Modi, who has exhausted all appeals up to the Supreme Court, approached the Westminster Court seeking to reopen the trial. His plea is understood to be on the grounds that if extradited to India, he would be subjected to interrogation by various agencies, which may result in torture, sources said.
Investigators in India are expected to repeat their earlier assurance that Modi will only face trial under Indian law and will not be subjected to interrogation.
“We have already filed charge sheets, and his questioning is not required. Our investigation is almost complete. He is needed only to face trial,” an official said, adding that agencies may reaffirm to the U.K. court that Modi will not be questioned if extradited.
The investigative bodies probing him for siphoning off over ₹6,498 crore through hundreds of fraudulent Letters of Undertaking from Punjab National Bank are in agreement that further questioning is unnecessary.
India has also told the UK that Modi would be lodged in barrack 12 of Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail, which it says is safe, not overcrowded, and equipped with a medical facility. Officials have assured that he would face trial under Indian law and no fresh charges will be added.
The 54-year-old was arrested in London on March 19, 2019, on an extradition warrant. In April 2021, then UK home secretary Priti Patel approved his extradition. He has been in prison for nearly six years.
Modi has repeatedly applied for bail, but U.K. courts have rejected the pleas, citing him as a “real and substantial flight risk.”
He faces three sets of criminal proceedings in India: a CBI case of fraud involving PNB, an Enforcement Directorate case on alleged laundering of the proceeds, and another case on tampering with evidence and witnesses.
Published – October 04, 2025 09:32 pm IST
