Nirav Modi's remand extended to July 25, demands laptop to view case documents

London, June 27: London's Westminster Magistrate's court on Thursday extended remand of fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi's custody till July 25 in extradition case. He is wanted in India in connection with the PNB fraud case.

He is currently in a London prison and has approached the courts in UK four times for bail. All his bail pleas were rejected.

During his hearing via video conference today, the Judge reportedly said the court would do all it can to facilitate his request to access documents relating to his case while he is in prison. His lawyer has demanded that Modi be given a laptop so that he review case documents.

The first case management hearing in his extradition case took place at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 30 May, when Judge Emma Arbuthnot directed the Indian government to confirm which prison Modi is to be held in if he were to be extradited to India, setting a 14-day deadline for a confirmation of the prison plans in India.

The UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), representing the Indian government, has until July 11 to present an opening position statement laying out the prima facie case against Modi, with the next case management hearing set for 29 July, when a timeline for extradition trial is expected to be laid out.

On June 11, Nirav Modi, who is lodged in the Wandsworth prison in west London, had approached the Royal Courts of Justice for the fourth time for bail. The plea was rejected.

Nirav Modi was arrested by Scotland Yard officers in central London on March 19 and faces extradition to India as the "principal beneficiary" of the fraudulent issuance of letters of undertaking (LoUs) as part of a conspiracy to defraud PNB and then laundering the proceeds of crime.

The diamond merchant has been behind bars at one of England's most overcrowded prisons - Her Majesty's Prison (HMP) Wandsworth.