PNB fraud: India can initiate extradition process against Nirav Modi, says UK

The extradition request will be first approved by the UK Home Office following which an extradition warrant can be issued.

fused asylum by the UK Home Office but won the claim before an independent judge on appeal.

"Generally speaking, a person needs to prove they face persecution rather than prosecution. So, a legitimate prosecution that leads to a lawful conviction following a fair trial could not give rise to a viable claim. However, if the charges were politically motivated or the trial was very unfair or excess punishment might result, the claim might succeed," he explains.

A non-bailable warrant was issued against Nirav and 10 other accused, including his family members, in the PNB fraud case following a chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) last month. The businessman is believed to have fled India with his family around a month before the PNB filed its first complaint with the CBI at the beginning of this year.

Since then there has been a flurry of media speculation over his whereabouts and the kind of passport he is travelling on. Most of these reports have either been officially denied or remain unsubstantiated.

The UK Home Office has refused to comment on "individual cases".