UK High Court rejects Nirav Modi plea against extradition |
The UK High Court on November 9 dismissed fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi`s appeal against his extradition, a development which brings Indian agencies one step closer to bringing him to India to face fraud and money laundering charges. Lord Justice Jeremy Stuart-Smith and Justice Robert Jay at the High Court of Justice, London, said the February 2021 decision to extradite Nirav Modi was sound. The diamantaire has 14 days to appeal against the high court decision in the Supreme Court of the UK. Modi was allowed in August last year to appeal against the extradition on two grounds - under Article 3 of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) to hear arguments if it would be unjust or oppressive to extradite him due to his mental state and Section 91 of the Extradition Act 2003, also related to mental health. The 51-year-old billionaire is accused of cheating Punjab National Bank of ₹6,498 crores alone and sought relief during the hearing on `mental health` grounds saying he was prone to suicide and Indian prisons are not suitable for somebody like him with suicidal tendencies. Rejecting Nirav Modi`s argument about his mental health and that suicide risk will increase if he is extradited, the High Court noted in the judgment –“….we are far from satisfied that Modi`s mental condition and the risk of suicide are such that it would be either unjust or oppressive to extradite him.”
|
|
|
|
|
