UK judge turns down plea by Nirav Modi's lawyers to bar press in extradition trial

A judge in Westminster Magistrate's Court in London rejected an application by lawyers of fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi to bar the press from the extradition trial.

A judge in Westminster Magistrate's Court in London rejected an application by lawyers of fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi to bar the press from the extradition trial. The five-day trial of Modi, who is lodged in a prison in London since his arrest in March last year, began earlier today.

Modi's lawyer requested the judge to bar members of the press from the proceedings. The 49-year-old fugitive was arrested in March 2019 in London and charged with money laundering and defrauding Punjab National Bank (PNB) of more than Rs 11,000 crore.

In view of coronavirus pandemic, Nirav Modi appeared from a room in Wandsworth prison in Southwest London. The second leg of the trial began on Monday after it was adjourned until September after a week of extraordinary drama at the court in Central London in May this year. 

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