Choksi case drags Modi govt to UK court over abduction, torture

The alleged absconder, the diamond merchant Mehul Choksi — wanted in India for loan defaults and his alleged role in the ₹13,500 crore Punjab National Bank fraud — is now bringing the Narendra Modi government before the High Court of England and Wales in London to deny charges of alleged kidnapping and torture, as well as the attempt to forcibly extradite him to India, after a judge removed its jurisdictional and state immunity in a separate civil suit filed by Choksi.

The case, which stems from Choksi’s claim that Indian agents abducted him in Antigua and attempted to rendition him to India via Dominica in 2021, accuses the Indian government of orchestrating the operation through politically connected individuals, including one recently accepted as a diplomatic envoy in India.

Choksi’s civil action, filed on 17 May 2024, claims that Indian agencies conspired with five individuals — four men of Indian origin and a Hungarian woman — to kidnap him from Antigua, transport him to Dominica, and force him onto a private jet that was intended to take him to India, according to The Wire.

The operation was allegedly thwarted by a Dominican police officer who exposed the plot, triggering legal intervention and ultimately allowing Choksi to return to Antigua after seven weeks. The Indian government initially argued it enjoyed diplomatic immunity and that the case should not be heard in a UK court, but the presiding judge rejected this argument, ruling that issues of state immunity and jurisdiction are to be decided within the trial itself.

Justice Clive Freedman ordered the Indian state to pay costs, as he rejected its plea to bifurcate jurisdictional issues and exclude certain expert evidence, a move which marks a significant setback for India.

The court’s decision to proceed came after India was formally served the claim and acknowledged it earlier this year, following a September 2024 order by the Master of the King’s Bench Division and a February 2025 certificate of service issued by the British Foreign Office.

Choksi has accused Indian authorities of using individuals with known political connections — including one who recently presented diplomatic credentials in India on behalf of St Kitts and Nevis — to abduct him and extract a false confession through torture.

He claims the effort to rendition him was motivated by delays in his extradition proceedings from Antigua, which local authorities suggested might take several more years. He further asserts that his kidnapping involved coordinated actions by agents who subjected him to violent abuse aboard a sailing vessel, threatening both his life and that of his family.

While India maintains there is no evidence linking it to the events in question, a private investigation firm reportedly handed over a dossier of evidence to British law enforcement. This included travel records and hotel documents, and an earlier report by Antiguan police concluded there was substantial circumstantial evidence to support the kidnapping charge.

As Choksi now resides in Belgium, where separate extradition proceedings are underway, his legal team has also pushed back against Indian claims that he was located through investigative effort, maintaining instead that he had moved there legally and notified authorities of his presence.