London: Rejecting fugitive billionaire Nirav Modi’s appeal to reopen his extradition trial, London High Court order said it was unlikely that he would be tortured in India.
The United Kingdom and India have a long history of friendly bilateral relations. Although there is no evidence that the assurances will be formally monitored by the GoI, it is relevant that Mr Modi, under previous assurances given by the GoI, will have daily access to his lawyers and medical team,” the court order states, as reported by Times Now.
High court of justice in London bench of Lord Justice Jeremy Stuart-Smith and Justice Robert Jay were hearing the case. They held that the circumstances to reopen the case were “not exceptional”.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said Modi’s challenge had been “successfully overcome” through sustained and coordinated efforts. For CBI, the matter was “strongly argued by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) advocate (Helen Malcolm).”
Modi had moved to court last year. His lawyer had argued that “if he is returned to India he will be interrogated and be subject to torture and ill-treatment”.
Modi, accused of defrauding Punjab National Bank of Rs 6,498 crore, is a part of a Rs 13,578 crore fraud. It also involves his uncle Mehul Choksi. He has been lodged in a UK jail since his arrest by Scotland Yard on in 2019.
