Nirav Modi Deportation Awaits UK Legal Process, Says India Amid Migrants Claim

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday clarified that fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi will be deported to India only after legal proceedings against him in the United Kingdom are concluded. The statement came in response to claims by former British Home Secretary Priti Patel that New Delhi has refused to accept thousands of illegal Indian migrants from the UK because London has not extradited Modi.

Nirav Modi is wanted in India to face trial on charges of fraud and money laundering in connection with the $2 billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) loan scam. He has been in a UK prison since his arrest in 2019 and has been fighting extradition. The UK High Court granted permission to extradite him in 2021, but appeals are still pending.

Responding to Patel's remarks, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “The legal proceedings against Nirav Modi are underway, and he will be deported once these proceedings conclude.” He reiterated India's commitment to bringing the fugitive offender back to face the due legal process. Jaiswal also noted that deportation of any individual follows a set procedure, including verification of citizenship through paperwork.

The MEA’s clarification seeks to decouple the issue of illegal migrants from that of extradition. Patel had suggested that India’s reluctance to take back its nationals was linked to the Modi extradition case, a claim the Indian government has denied. The Ministry emphasized that each matter is handled according to established bilateral agreements and legal frameworks.

The PNB scam, which came to light in 2018, involved fraudulent letters of undertaking issued by the bank’s Mumbai branch, enabling firms linked to Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi to obtain loans from overseas banks. Modi fled India in early 2018 and was arrested in London later that year. The extradition process has been prolonged due to legal challenges, including concerns about prison conditions in India raised by Modi’s legal team.

India and the UK share a mutual legal assistance treaty, and extradition requests are processed under the Extradition Act 2003 of the UK. The Indian government has assured that it will extend all necessary facilities, including medical care, to the accused once transferred. The MEA’s statement reinforces that the deportation timeline depends solely on the completion of UK judicial proceedings.