Mehul Choksi Faces UK Court Heat, Told To Deposit Rs 8 Crore In Ongoing Kidnapping Case

Fugitive Indian businessman Mehul Choksi has faced a setback in the UK after the High Court ordered him to deposit 677,000 pounds (around Rs 8 crore) as security for costs in a civil lawsuit linked to his kidnapping claims.

The order was passed on Friday by the High Court of Justice, King's Bench Division, in a case filed by Choksi against the Government of India and five individuals. Choksi has alleged that he was abducted from Antigua and Barbuda in 2021 and forcibly taken to Dominica as part of a conspiracy.

According to WIC News, the ruling followed applications by the defendants Gurmit Singh, Gurjit Bhandal, Leslie Farrow-Guy, and Gurdip Bath who sought an order requiring Mehul Choksi to provide security for costs. Such orders are intended to protect defendants from the risk of being unable to recover legal expenses if they succeed in the case and the claimant fails to pay.

In its ruling, the court said it could not find a strong likelihood of Choksi succeeding in his claims. The judge observed that the case did not meet the threshold of having a high probability of success.

The court order stated: "Taking all the circumstances into account, in my judgment it would be just to make an order for security for costs. This is not one of those rare cases where it can be seen that there is a high probability of success, either on the preliminary issues or at trial."

It further said: "Given that there is a dispute of fact as to whether the defendants were involved in kidnapping and assaulting Choksi, I cannot proceed on the basis that they were."

The court added that there was "a real risk that an order for costs against Choksi would not be capable of enforcement", but said it was "not satisfied that the claim would be stifled" by requiring the security deposit.

Choksi filed the lawsuit in May 2024 against the Indian government and Gurdip Bath, Barbara Jarabik, Gurmit Singh, Gurjit Singh Bhandal and Leslie Farrow-Guy, all UK residents. He has claimed damages for alleged physical and psychological injuries. The Indian government has consistently denied the allegations.