Keypoints:
- It was on February 25 that a UK court had ordered Modi’s extradition after which it was sent to the Secretary of State for approval.
- Nirav Modi should be brought back to India soon unless it is overturned by the high court in India.
- Verdict was delivered by the UK court which held the evidence against Modi. The evidence was sufficient to order Modi’s extradition to India to face the charges.
On Friday, the UK government approved the extradition of Nirav Modi who is wanted in the Rs 13,500 crore Punjab National Bank loan fraud case by CBI and the Enforcement Directorate-to India. Sources have said that Modi should be brought back to India soon unless it is overturned by the high court in the country.
It was on February 25 that the court had ordered Modi’s extradition after which it was sent to the Secretary of State for the approval. However, the court’s decision was liable to be challenged after the approval given by the Secretary of the State. Nirav Modi had 14 days to challenge this order in the high court.
The verdict was delivered by the UK court which held the evidence against Modi. The evidence was sufficient enough to order his extradition to India to face the charges. Along with this, the court had also upheld the assurances of the Government of India and had rejected the submissions of defence regarding human rights violations, fair trial and prison conditions.
Nirav Modi would have the right to appeal to the High Court against its decision to send the case to the Secretary of State, said the court.However, this appeal would not be heard until the Secretary of State had made a decision, it had added.
“The appeal can be on a point of law or fact or both,” the court had said.
“Today’s judgement of Westminster Magistrates’ Court is a significant achievement in the context of CBI’s efforts to curb corruption and is a reminder that fugitives, who have eluded the process of law after commission of large value frauds, cannot consider themselves above the process merely because they have changed jurisdictions,” CBI had said in a statement then.
