Fugitive Mehul Choksi’s return to India confirmed as Belgian court rules in India’s favour, but still has a chance to…
The CBI team visited Belgium three times.
New Delhi: A major breakthrough has been achieved in the effort to bring fugitive India(BHARAT)n diamond merchant Mehul Choksi back to India(BHARAT). A Belgian court has upheld India(BHARAT)’s extradition request and ordered Choksi’s extradition to India(BHARAT). Belgian police arrested Choksi on April 11 at India(BHARAT)’s request, and he has been in jail since then. This decision is a significant step for India(BHARAT), although Choksi can still appeal in a higher court.
Denied bail every time
The Antwerp court heard arguments from both sides on Friday, 17 October 2025. The Belgian public prosecutor and Mehul Choksi’s lawyer appeared on India(BHARAT)’s behalf. The court agreed that both Choksi’s arrest and India(BHARAT)’s extradition request were legally valid. 65-year-old Choksi has been in a Belgian jail for the past four months. He has tried several times for bail but has been unsuccessful each time.
The India(BHARAT)n government has cited several sections of the India(BHARAT)n Penal Code (IPC) to bring Choksi back. These include sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 409 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), and 477A (falsification of accounts). A request has also been made under sections 7 and 13 (bribery) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Two important conventions mentioned
According to the “double criminality” clause of the extradition treaty, all these offenses are also considered crimes in Belgium. Furthermore, India(BHARAT) has cited two important UN conventions: the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).
During the extradition process, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team visited Belgium at least three times. They also enlisted the help of a private European law firm. India(BHARAT) presented compelling evidence of fraud and money laundering to the court and also demonstrated how Choksi was attempting to evade the law.
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