Nirav Modi Loses Final Legal Battle in European Court, Extradition to India Imminent

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has dismissed the appeal filed by fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi against his extradition to India, according to documents obtained by NDTV. This ruling eliminates the last legal obstacle preventing his transfer from the United Kingdom.

All legal avenues available to Modi have been exhausted, and the UK authorities can now proceed with the extradition process, which only requires completing administrative procedures, sources confirmed. The ECHR, based in Strasbourg, had kept the plea confidential while it was pending, as is standard practice for such cases.

Modi filed his plea with the ECHR in April 2026 after losing his legal battle in the UK courts. The UK High Court had earlier refused him permission to challenge his extradition, ruling that the assurances provided by India regarding prison conditions and treatment were adequate.

Nirav Modi has been lodged in London's Wandsworth Prison since his arrest in March 2019. He is wanted by India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud and money laundering cases, which involve alleged losses of over Rs 13,000 crore.

Diplomatic sources said the process of handing him over by UK authorities has begun, and his extradition could take place at any time. In March, the UK High Court rejected Modi's petition to reopen proceedings against his extradition order. That application was based on the Bhandari judgment, where a UK High Court had denied extradition of defence middleman Sanjay Bhandari on humanitarian grounds, citing risk of torture. Modi's lawyers argued similar grounds, but the court found his circumstances not exceptional and declined to reopen the matter.

With the ECHR ruling, all domestic and international legal remedies have been exhausted, clearing the way for Modi's return to India to face trial.