The 54-year-old fugitive diamantaire appeared within the dock earlier than High Court Judge Simon Tinkler on the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Friday (October 17, 2025) to current his defence in an unrelated case, involving an over $8 million unpaid Bank of India debt.
The Judge turned down Mr. Modi’s utility for a keep on the proceedings on the grounds of technical and medical constraints in jail, which is about to proceed to a trial scheduled in January 2026.
“They (Bank of India) consult with my extradition… I’m nonetheless right here. There will likely be some sensational developments, and I’ve by no means used these phrases earlier than,” stated Mr. Modi, throughout a pre-trial overview listening to.
The fugitive diamond service provider, needed in India within the estimated $2 billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) mortgage rip-off case, informed the courtroom he was “extraordinarily hopeful” of both being discharged or granted bail after the courtroom agreed to just accept new proof regardless of a “excessive bar” in such issues.
The U.Okay.’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has confirmed that Nirav Modi “has lodged an utility to reopen his (extradition) enchantment”, with the Indian authorities submitting their response forward of a listening to anticipated in direction of the top of November.
Defending himself as a “litigant in individual”, Mr. Modi learn from copious handwritten notes as he addressed the Judge. Officers sat guard as their prisoner, wearing a worn-out white t-shirt and pink monitor pants, spoke in mumbled tones about struggles together with his eyesight and prolonged delays over entry to a pc behind bars, which he burdened made any trial unfair and imbalanced.
“I perceive that is an adversarial course of, and so they (Bank of India) can say something towards me. But they carry on making assumptions; I’d say, spend sooner or later in jail… There must be some primary frequent sense,” he stated, showing to lose his calm at one stage.
Bank of India, represented by barrister Tom Beasley and RWK Goodman’s Milan Kapadia, are pursuing Mr. Modi’s private assure associated to a mortgage to Dubai-incorporated Firestar Diamond FZE. They argued {that a} keep on the proceedings could be unfair to the financial institution, as it will push the long-pending declare off indefinitely.
“If he’s extradited, he’ll probably stay in custody… He may also be in a unique time zone,” Beasley informed the courtroom, including that the financial institution “stays sceptical” about Mr. Modi’s “claimed lack of funds”.
Justice Tinkler dominated that on stability the necessity to protect the courtroom’s timetable outweighs different concerns and that every one efforts to make sure an “equality of arms” within the case have been made.
“It is evident that some (medical) points do have an effect on his potential to work and can, in all probability, have an effect on his potential to take part within the trial with out affordable changes being made,” the Judge stated, referencing a confidential medical report submitted to him.
However, with the trial listed for seven days in January, the Judge concluded that it was enough time to make changes to fulfill all medical wants.
He additionally famous that the jail authorities have indicated that a pc will likely be made obtainable to Mr. Modi in every week’s time, at the same time as arduous copies of all paperwork will likely be despatched over to him forward of one other pre-trial listening to in early December.
Mr. Modi’s in-person courtroom look after current video hyperlinks adopted a “manufacturing order” by the courtroom. It triggered some authorized complexity of its personal in direction of the top of the day-long listening to, as Mr. Modi needed to be despatched to HMP Pentonville jail in north London.
The businessman appeared apprehensive about this shift from HMP Thameside in south London, the place he has been lodged over the previous few months, and appealed for the courtroom to incorporate a single-occupancy cell request within the courtroom order.
The Judge stated whereas that was not throughout the courtroom’s purview, he had added instructions for both all his paperwork to be moved over to him or for him to be returned to Thameside on the earliest.
Also learn: PNB-Nirav Modi case | Chronology of occasions
Nirav Modi has been behind bars in London since his arrest in March 2019 and has made a number of bail makes an attempt, which have all been rejected on the grounds of him posing a flight danger — most not too long ago in May this yr.
There are three units of prison proceedings towards him in India — the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case of PNB fraud, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) case regarding the alleged laundering of the proceeds of that fraud and a 3rd set of prison proceedings involving alleged interference with proof and witnesses within the CBI proceedings.
In April 2021, then U.Okay. house secretary Priti Patel had ordered his extradition to face these fees within the Indian courts after a prima facie case was established towards him. He had since exhausted his authorized avenues to contest the order till not too long ago, when his utility to reopen his enchantment was accepted within the UK and is about to be heard subsequent month.
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