London, 26 March 2026 : In a major turn in the long‑running legal battle over his return to India, the High Court of Justice, King’s Bench Division, London has refused to reopen Nirav Modi’s appeal against his extradition to India, effectively exhausting his latest attempt to delay his return to face trial. The court delivered its judgment remotely on Wednesday, dismissing Modi’s claims that new evidence of potential mistreatment in India should prompt a reconsideration of the extradition order.
Nirav Modi, the fugitive diamantaire accused in India in connection with the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case, has been in UK custody since his arrest in March 2019, with extradition proceedings ongoing since 2018. His legal team’s fresh bid, filed in August 2025, sought to leverage a prior UK judgment in another case to argue that he could face torture or ill‑treatment if sent back to India. However, the High Court found that the circumstances did not constitute “exceptional” grounds to reopen the appeal and were insufficient to meet the stringent legal threshold for reconsideration.
The court’s decision relied in part on “comprehensive, detailed and reliable” assurances provided by the Indian government, including diplomatic notes confirming that Modi’s extradition is sought strictly for judicial trial in India, that he will not be interrogated by agencies such as the CBI or ED, and that he will not be transferred from Mumbai’s Arthur Road Prison. Judges said they were satisfied these assurances were given in good faith and were binding.
With this rejection, Modi’s legal avenues in the UK are significantly narrowed, and his extradition to India to face trial in one of the country’s biggest banking fraud cases appears imminent, marking the possible endgame in a saga that has spanned several years and multiple layers of legal challenge.
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