September 19, 2025

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) served a spicy update in court on Thursday about Mehul Choksi, the businessman caught in the ₹13,000-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud scandal. Choksi is currently a big no-show in India and wants to stay away, fighting extradition in Belgium. The ED told a special court that Choksi "does not want to return to India" because he is busy battling extradition proceedings there. Choksi faces a powerful tool called the Fugitive Economic Offender (FEO) tag. This tag lets Indian agencies grab all his assets, even those hidden in other countries. But Choksi tried to squash these FEO proceedings by asking the court to drop them. The ED slammed this request, saying it has "no merit" and must be rejected. They explained that "FEO proceeding terminates only when he appears, so it cannot be terminated now. It's a special law with special provision." After Choksi fled Antigua and Barbuda, he landed in Belgium in 2023. Now, along with his nephew Nirav Modi, he is wanted for the massive fraud. Recently arrested in Belgium, Choksi pleaded to dismiss the FEO tag application filed by the ED. However, Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh gave a sharp reply, saying, "If he so desires, he can come to India and the agency might consider not proceeding with the application to declare him a fugitive economic offender." He pointed out Choksi’s double game: "On one hand, he's contesting proceedings in Belgium court saying that I cannot be extradited to India, and on the other hand he is saying that I'm arrested, so the application becomes infructuous." The ASG also noted that Choksi deliberately chose to "stay out of India and not participate personally by remaining present in court." The legal drama is far from over! Choksi’s lawyer will present his arguments in the next hearing. Will Choksi return to face justice or keep dodging? Only time will tell.

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Tags: Mehul choksi, Pnb fraud, Fugitive economic offender, Extradition, Enforcement directorate, Belgium,