Mehul Choksi Fugitive Economic Offender Plea: Special Court Reserves Order After Rejecting Further Delay

Mumbai: The special court is expected to issue a decision on Mehul Choksi's plea for a fugitive economic offender status within the next week, as the court denied further postponement on Tuesday. The court, led by Subhash K. Karhale, declared that a criminal miscellaneous application cannot be kept pending for additional years when approximately 7-8 years have already elapsed.

The petition was filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in July 2018, seeking to declare Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi as fugitive economic offenders under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, enabling the confiscation of properties linked to the accused, even if located abroad. Nirav Modi has already been declared a fugitive, and the process to seize his assets is underway.

However, Choksi's petition remained pending as of the hearing. Choksi's lawyer requested a delay, citing his inability to provide instructions telephonically from Antwerp Prison in Belgium. The Directorate's counsel opposed the adjournment, stating that Choksi has been absent from the court since 2018 and has been evading justice.

Choksi, the accused in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case, was apprehended in Belgium on April 12 of the previous year on an extradition request from Indian authorities for his alleged involvement in the scam.