(Image source from: Timesnownews.com)

Fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi has been granted privacy by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, which will keep his case hidden from the public eye, officials reported. They mentioned that the court will handle his case confidentially, keeping the proceedings away from public attention. The ECHR Press office indicated, "When anonymity is granted and the case file is confidential, we cannot share any details about that case. " In about two weeks, the ECHR is expected to hold a hearing to discuss Nirav Modi's request. The court will also listen to arguments from the Central Bureau of Investigation, after which it may issue a decision, according to sources. If Modi's request is denied, this would remove the last legal obstacle to his extradition to India from the UK, where he is currently held in a London jail. In March, the UK's High Court of Justice dismissed Modi's request to reopen his extradition case, based on the "quality of assurances" given by the Indian government, which the court believed were comprehensive enough to address concerns about potential torture preventing his return to India. This decision closed all legal options for Nirav Modi in the UK, leading him to appeal to the ECHR. The UK is a participant in the European Convention on Human Rights.

The bench of the High Court of Justice, made up of Lord Justice Stuart-Smith and Justice Jay, turned down Modi's request to revisit his extradition case under the Criminal Procedure Rules, stating that diplomatic commitments made by India between September 2025 and February 2026 offered a range of detailed and trustworthy assurances. Modi's attempt to reopen the case was based on a February 2025 ruling regarding the extradition case of defense consultant Sanjay Bhandari, in which the court labeled the use of torture by Indian agencies to obtain confessions as "widespread and common. " The 55-year-old jeweler, known for his connections with Bollywood stars, luxury boutiques, and appearances at Cannes, has been in Wandsworth prison since his arrest in the UK on March 19, 2019. Declared a fugitive in India, Modi faces accusations of being involved in a 13,000 crore rupee fraud at the Punjab National Bank alongside his uncle Mehul Choksi, who is imprisoned in Belgium. The CBI alleges that Modi alone misappropriated 6,498.20 crore rupees of the total amount involved.