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London court to hear Nirav Modi appeal in Feb after Indian agencies submit documents
The court will next hear Nirav Modi’s appeal against his extradition to India in February 2026
NEW DELHI: The first hearing on fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi’s appeal against his extradition to India, scheduled for Tuesday in London, has been postponed until the end of February 2026, people familiar with the development said.
A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) team, which had travelled to London for Tuesday’s hearing, submitted documents outlining why Modi’s plea should be rejected. The court gave the diamantaire’s legal team time till January to respond to New Delhi’s position, and scheduled the next hearing for February.
The team also met with Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) lawyers, who are representing India in the case.
As first reported by HT, a Westminster court admitted Modi’s plea to reopen his extradition case in August. He had alleged that, if extradited, he would be interrogated by multiple agencies and may face torture during such interrogation.
The Indian government has already sent a letter of assurance to London - a sovereign guarantee of sorts - stating that the fugitive diamantaire, in the event of extradition, “will only face trial” in India and “won’t be interrogated or taken into custody by any agency”.
Accused of defrauding Punjab National Bank (PNB) of ₹6,498 crore [part of a total ₹13,578 crore fraud, with around ₹7,000 crore linked to his uncle Mehul Choksi], Nirav Modi has been lodged at Wandsworth Prison on the outskirts of London since March 19, 2019. He was arrested by Scotland Yard on the basis of India’s extradition request.
On February 25, 2021, a district judge at Westminster magistrates’ court ordered his extradition to India. The UK High Court upheld the order on November 9, 2022, and rejected his plea to appeal to the UK Supreme Court, effectively exhausting his legal options.
Modi was declared a fugitive economic offender under the FEO Act, 2018. His assets worth ₹2,598 crore have been attached by ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), and ₹981 crore has been restored to the victim banks.
