In a major victory for India, the UK High Court has rejected the plea of fugitive economic offender Nirav Modi to appeal against his extradition order, passed by a magistrate court.
In February, the Westminister Magistrates' Court had ruled that Nirav Modi be extradited to stand trial in India over the charges against him in the Punjab National Bank case, where he is accused of perpetrating fraud amounting of Rs 13,500 crore. In April, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel approved the extradition of Nirav Modi.
The plea was before a High Court judge for a decision “on the papers” submitted to determine if there are any grounds for an appeal against the home secretary’s decision or the Westminster Magistrates Court February ruling in favour of Nirav Modi’s extradition to India to face charges of fraud and money laundering.
A High Court official confirmed that the permission to appeal was "rejected on paper" on Tuesday, which leaves the 50-year-old jeweller with a chance to make his case at a brief oral hearing in the High Court with a renewed “leave to appeal” application for a judge to determine if it can proceed to a full appeal hearing.
Under the legal guidelines, Nirav Modi as an appellant has five business days to apply for such an oral consideration, giving him time until next week.
If a renewal application is made, it will be listed before a High Court judge for a hearing. It is understood that Nirav Modi plans to make such an application.
If the oral submission is also rejected, Nirav Modi would have exhausted all his legal options in the UK. He could, however, approach the European Court of Human Rights to appeal against the extradition order.
Nirav Modi fled India in January 2018, shortly before the Punjab National Bank scam emerged. He was arrested in the UK in 2019.
