Fugitive Mehul Choksi will get ‘adequate care’ in Indian Jail

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has furnished a formal letter of assurance to the Ministry of Justice, Kingdom of Belgium, and the competent Belgian judicial authorities, detailing the conditions under which Mehul Choksi, wanted in the Punjab National Bank fraud case, would be detained if he is extradited from Belgium to India.

According to details shared with Belgian authorities, Choksi will be lodged in Barrack No. 12 of Arthur Road Jail Complex in Mumbai, which officials said is not overcrowded. His cell will be under round-the-clock monitoring and will provide him with at least three square metres of personal space, excluding furniture.

The cell will have adequate lighting, ventilation, and storage facilities, along with basic amenities such as a cotton mattress, pillow, bedsheet, and blanket. A bed may be provided on medical grounds. He will have access to clean drinking water and medical facilities 24/7, as well as proper toilets and washing arrangements.

Choksi will also be given more than an hour of exercise and recreation daily and will be served adequate food throughout his detention.

Mehul Choksi was arrested by Belgian authorities in Antwerp this April at India’s request and has been lodged in prison there since. His bail plea was recently rejected on the grounds that he posed a flight risk. His extradition hearing is scheduled for the second week of September.

Wanted in India in connection with the multi-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case, Choksi has been fighting extradition proceedings abroad since 2018.

Choksi and his nephew, Nirav Modi, are the primary accused in the PNB fraud case, which involves fraudulent transactions. In addition to this case, Choksi is reportedly wanted in connection with several other unrelated bank fraud investigations.

Choksi faces charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including criminal conspiracy, cheating, and falsification of accounts, as well as provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. These offences are also recognised as crimes under Belgian law, thereby enabling the application of the dual criminality clause of the extradition treaty in India’s request for his extradition.