The Bombay High Court on Tuesday declined to offer immediate legal relief to Purvi Mehta, sister of fugitive businessman Nirav Modi, in connection with her inclusion in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)’s chargesheet in the high-profile Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case.
Purvi had approached the court seeking to quash the decision by the CBI, which recently added her name as one of the accused in the multi-crore scam. The Court, however, refused to entertain her plea urgently and deferred further proceedings.
Nirav Modi, a key accused in the scam, is currently in the UK facing extradition proceedings. The PNB scam, which surfaced in 2018, involved the fraudulent issuance of letters of undertaking by PNB officials, enabling Modi and his associates to secure overseas credit lines.
The CBI has expanded its investigation, now including Mehta in the list of those allegedly complicit in financial irregularities related to the scam. Officials claim that she played a role in facilitating fund movements linked to shell companies tied to her brother’s business empire.
While Mehta has maintained her innocence, arguing she had no operational involvement in the financial dealings in question, the CBI insists that fresh evidence warrants her inclusion in the case. Her legal team is expected to challenge the agency’s claims when the matter is next heard.
This development comes as part of the broader crackdown on those allegedly involved in the ₹13,000 crore banking fraud. The court has yet to set a date for the next hearing, leaving Mehta’s legal status uncertain for now.
