Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Nirav Modi extradition appeal: Suicide, Mumbai jail Covid risks in focus

FUGITIVE Indian businessman Nirav Modi could face a “substantial risk” of suicide amid an “overwhelming” impact of Covid-19 at Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai where he will be put on being exiled, the High Court of London was told in an extradition appeal hearing on Wednesday (21).

The 50-year-old disgraced diamond tycoon, who is accused of defrauding India’s Punjab National Bank of $2 billion over seven years, applied to the UK court to appeal his extradition on the basis that he wouldn’t receive a fair trial in India.


Modi’s case is the most high-profile since Vijay Mallya and if India succeeds in getting him back and face the charges, it will be seen as a victory of prime minister Narendra Modi who has always positioned himself as a leader who has zero tolerance for corruption. At a time when the prime minister’s popularity has been hit by his government’s handling of the pandemic, this will be seen as a major boost.

Modi saw the remotely held court proceedings on Wednesday from his Wandsworth Prison in south-west London. His lawyers argued for permission to appeal against his extradition ordered by district judge Sam Goozee in February and certified by British home secretary Priti Patel in April.

During the “renewal application” hearing before high court judge Martin Chamberlain, Modi’s lawyers tried to establish grounds for a full high court appeal hearing by claiming it would be oppressive to extradite him to India due to his mental condition that could lead to suicidal impulses.

Edward Fitzgerald argued that Judge Goozee made a “succession of errors” in his ruling in favour of Modi’s extradition in February, when he concluded that not only was Modi’s severe depression not unusual given his incarceration, but that he did not exhibit an immediate impulse to commit suicide.

“The District Judge was wrong to hold that there was nothing unusual about the Appellant's (Nirav Modi) mental condition; and wrong to focus on his present fitness to plead,” Fitzgerald said.

“As to the District Judge's conclusion that ‘the Applicant's condition will improve on his return' and ‘there will be an amelioration of his current conditions of detention', that finding was perverse on the evidence before him and unsustainable in the light of the new evidence. It was based on his assessment that the conditions in the prison at Arthur Road, Mumbai will be better than they are at HMP Wandsworth,” he said.

Modi’s lawyers relied on expert evidence from forensic psychiatrist Dr Andrew Forrester which was presented previously at the Westminster Magistrate’s Court in London.

“In my opinion, Nirav Modi should now be considered at substantial (meaning high), albeit not immediate, risk of suicide,” Forrester’s assessment read in his report dated August 27, 2020.

The lawyers also submitted fresh evidence to claim the pandemic is “overwhelming to the effect that the new outbreak of Covid renders the healthcare system on the brink of collapse”.

In relation to Patel’s extradition order, it was argued that she should not rely on Indian government assurances. “She [Priti Patel] failed totally to address the evidence of other breaches of commitments made to both the UK and to third states,” Fitzgerald said.

The renewal hearing is expected to conclude on Wednesday after the Crown Prosecution Service on behalf of the Indian authorities and the home secretary’s counsel make their counter-arguments against permission to appeal, with a judgment likely to come at a later date on whether the case can proceed to a full appeal hearing in the London high court.

More For You

Sri Lanka forms committee to address UK sanctions
Anura Kumara Dissanayake

Sri Lanka forms committee to address UK sanctions

THE Sri Lanka government on Wednesday (2) formed a committee to recommend measures regarding the UK's decision to impose sanctions on three former military commanders who led the campaign that crushed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009.

Health minister Nalinda Jayatissa told reporters that foreign minister Vijitha Herath, justice minister Harshana Nanayakkara and deputy minister of defence Aruna Jayasekara would comprise the committee that would consult experts for the purpose.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gujarat-blast-ANI

The blast caused the factory’s concrete roof to collapse, scattering debris and body parts across the area, officials confirmed. (Photo: ANI)

ANI

Death toll rises to 21 in Gujarat firework factory explosion

AN EXPLOSION at an illegal firecracker factory in Gujarat's Deesa town killed 21 people and injured several others on Tuesday, officials said.

The blast caused the factory’s concrete roof to collapse, scattering debris and body parts across the area, officials confirmed.

Keep ReadingShow less
Child benefit payments set to rise for UK families

Child benefit, normally paid every four weeks directly into bank accounts, has undergone significant changes in recent months (Photo: Getty Images)

Child benefit payments set to rise for UK families

MILLIONS of British families are set to receive a financial boost as child benefit payments increase from April 7, according to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

From next week, parents will receive £26.05 per week for the eldest or only child, amounting to £1,354.60 annually - up from the current rate of £25.60. For each additional child, payments will rise to £17.25 weekly, totalling £897 per year - an increase from the present £16.95 rate. This represents a 1.7 per cent increase across all payment categories.

Keep ReadingShow less
Anant Ambani Walks 140 Km in Spiritual Tribute on 30th Birthday

Anant’s padyatra is a reflection of the larger cultural fabric of India

Getty

Anant Ambani embarks on a 140-kilometer spiritual journey on foot to celebrate 30th birthday

Anant Ambani, a director of Reliance Industries Limited and a prominent figure in Indian industry, has chosen a unique and spiritual way to mark his 30th birthday. As part of his celebrations, he is currently undertaking a padyatra—a traditional pilgrimage on foot—from Jamnagar to Dwarka, covering a distance of approximately 140 kilometres. The journey reflects his devotion to Lord Dwarkadhish, the presiding deity of the Dwarkadhish Temple in the city of Dwarka.

Anant began his journey from his family’s residence in Moti Khavdi, Jamnagar, and has been progressing steadily for the past five days. Walking an estimated 10-12 kilometres each night, he travels under the protection of Z+ security and local police, ensuring his safety during this significant journey. The padyatra is expected to take between seven to nine days in total, with plans to conclude at the Dwarkadhish Temple in time for his birthday on April 10.

Keep ReadingShow less
New TB action plan proposed as cases surge

Government urged experts to come forward to help draw up a new five-year TB action plan. (Photo: Getty Images)

New TB action plan proposed as cases surge

BRITAIN on Wednesday (2) urged health experts and sufferers of tuberculosis (TB) to come forward to help draw up a new five-year action plan as it deals with record rises in the disease.

In 2023, England recorded its largest annual increase (11 per cent) in cases since enhanced surveillance began in 2000.

Keep ReadingShow less