UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has signed on the Nirav Modi extradition order; he is wanted in India on fraud and money laundering charges related to the estimated USD 2-billion Punjab National Bank scam case, senior Indian diplomatic sources in the UK said on Friday.
Modi, 50, who remains behind bars in London, has 14 days to apply for permission to appeal against the Home Secretary's order in the High Court in London.
After a two year long legal battle, the District Judge had ruled that Modi only has a case to answer in the Indian courts and that there is no evidence to suggest he would not receive a fair trial in India. The judge had also dismissed the human rights concerns that Modi's medical needs would not be addressed despite several Indian government assurances.
The judge had also noted that a prima facie case has been established on all counts of charges brought by the Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate -- money laundering, intimidation of witnesses and disappearance of evidence.
The judge had informed Nirav of his right to seek an appeal in the High Court and he has up to 14 days to make that application; any appeal, if granted, will be heard at the Administrative Division of the High Court in London.
It is also possible to appeal to the UK Supreme Court but this is only possible if the High Court certifies that the appeal involves a point of law of general public importance, and either the High Court or the Supreme Court gives leave for the appeal to be made.
Nirav's legal team did not immediately confirm if he intends to appeal against order; in any case, he will remain behind bars at Wandsworth Prison on judicial remand until the next stage in the legal process.
