Choksi's UK Kidnapping Case Against India Collapses Over Unpaid Legal Fees

Fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi civil claim against the Government of India, alleging a 2021 kidnapping plot, has been officially struck out by London's High Court on July 20, 2026. The dismissal came after Choksi failed to deposit £677,000 in security for the defendants' legal costs, effectively collapsing a central plank of his legal strategy to avoid extradition. This development marks a significant win for India in its protracted efforts to bring him back to face justice. Choksi, wanted in India for his alleged role in the multi-billion-dollar Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam, had claimed he was abducted from Antigua, assaulted, and forcibly taken to Dominica in May 2021, with the conspiracy orchestrated from England. These accusations, consistently denied by the Indian government, have also been dismissed by Belgian courts, which found no evidence of Indian state agents' involvement in his alleged abduction. His nephew, Nirav Modi, is also a key accused in the same PNB fraud. Meanwhile, India's Enforcement Directorate continues its pursuit to declare Choksi a Fugitive Economic Offender, with the latest hearing on the matter adjourned in August 2026. This legal setback in the UK will likely intensify focus on Choksi's ongoing extradition proceedings in Belgium, where he was arrested in April 2025. Belgium's Supreme Court already cleared his extradition in December 2025, dismissing his appeal in the PNB fraud case. Indian authorities have also provided assurances to Belgium regarding the conditions of his detention and medical care if he is extradited, signaling a determined push to bring this long-running saga to a close.