Extradition of diamantaire Nirav Modi has become imminent after he lost the final legal battle in the form of an appeal at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), according to documents obtained by NDTV.
According to sources, all the legal avenues available to Modi have been exhausted and the UK can now proceed with his extradition, with only administrative procedures remaining.
It was earlier reported that the ECHR had granted anonymity to Modi's plea, keeping the entire process confidential.
The court, based in Strasbourg, does not disclose information about such cases while they are pending.
Modi filed the plea before the ECHR in April 2026 after exhausting all legal options in the UK, following the UK's decision to hand over the documents to India for his immediate extradition.
The decision to file the plea came after the UK High Court refused him permission to challenge his extradition, holding that the assurances given by India regarding prison conditions and treatment were adequate.
With the ECHR refusing to grant relief to Modi, diplomatic sources said there are now no remaining legal hurdles to his extradition.
Nirav Modi has been lodged in London's Wandsworth Prison since his arrest in March 2019 and is wanted by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud and money laundering cases.
Diplomatic sources further said the process of handing him over by the UK authorities has begun and that Modi's extradition to India could take place at any time.
In March, Modi's petition to reopen proceedings against his extradition order by UK courts was rejected by the High Court of Justice, King's Bench Division in London.
The reopening application had been filed on the basis of the Bhandari judgment. The judgment came from a UK High Court in a case involving defence middleman Sanjay Bhandari, who had claimed he would be tortured if he was sent back to India. The court had rejected his extradition on humanitarian grounds.
Nirav Modi also claimed that he would be at risk of torture if extradited to India. But CBI officials helped overturn his argument.
While handing down the judgment, the UK High Court observed that Nirav Modi's petition and the circumstances surrounding it were not exceptional and that it would not be appropriate to reopen the matter.
