Fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi has moved a step closer to being extradited to India after losing his final legal challenge before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). According to sources, the court’s decision leaves Modi with no effective legal avenue to contest his extradition, following which the United Kingdom has initiated the administrative process to hand him over to Indian authorities.
Sources said the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights declined to grant any relief to Modi, effectively removing the last major legal obstacle in his extradition proceedings.
Modi had approached the ECHR in April 2026 after failing to obtain relief from courts in the United Kingdom. At the time, the court kept his application confidential, following its standard practice for cases under consideration, and did not publicly disclose details of the proceedings.
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According to sources, with the legal process now virtually complete, the UK government has begun the necessary administrative formalities for Modi’s extradition to India.
The 55-year-old has been lodged in Wandsworth Prison in London since his arrest in March 2019. Indian investigating agencies are seeking his extradition in connection with the alleged ₹13,000-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud and the related money laundering investigation.
Before approaching the ECHR, Modi had also failed to secure permission from the UK High Court to challenge the extradition order. The court held that the assurances provided by the Indian authorities regarding prison conditions and the treatment of inmates were adequate.
Earlier this year, the King’s Bench Division of the UK High Court also dismissed Modi’s plea seeking to reopen proceedings relating to the extradition order. India’s extradition request was approved by Westminster Magistrates’ Court in 2021, and the decision was subsequently upheld by the UK High Court.
Nirav Modi is accused of fraudulently obtaining bank guarantees from Punjab National Bank, which were allegedly used to secure credit from overseas branches of other banks, with the funds subsequently routed through shell companies. Further legal proceedings in the case will continue in accordance with Indian law after the completion of the extradition process.
