Confirming the development, Judge Katju told ET: “Tomorrow I will be deposited (via video conference) in a UK court as a witness for Nirav Modi. But I would not comment on the merits of the case and will only say that he (Nirav) does not will get justice in India. ”
Judge Katju said he has spoken out against the Indian government’s request to request the extradition of Nirav Modi.
He said that “he has already submitted his statement in writing.” A UK court is currently on trial over the Indian government’s request for the extradition of the diamond dealer.
Judge Katju told ET by phone that he has opined, in his written statement, that Nirav Modi is unlikely to get a free and fair trial in India. In elaborating, he said that Nirav Modi has already been “condemned” by the Indian media and the current establishment.
He added that the Minister of Law of the Union, Ravi Shankar Prasad, in one of his press conferences, already described Nirav Modi as “criminal”. Without words, Judge Katju has alleged that the Indian judiciary is “subordinate” to the government of Narendra Modi.
“How can a Minister of Justice declare someone a criminal? Only a court of law can do that. But the Minister of Justice is passing sentences, “said Judge Katju.
He has referred to the Ayodhya verdict recently handed down by the Supreme Court allowing the construction of the Ram temple. He has called this the “most embarrassing verdict” after the ADM Jabalpur ruling of 1976.
Judge Katju will testify as a witness for Nirav Modi in a UK court on Friday. He will also be questioned by the Crown Prosecutor’s Office.
Judge Katju told ET that Nirav Modi has been subjected to a media trial and has already been found guilty by the Indian press. He added that in such a hostile atmosphere it is highly unlikely that Nirav Modi will receive a free and fair trial.
The former Supreme Court judge has opposed the Indian government’s request for the extradition of Nirav Modi, who is currently in a UK jail. In his written statement sent to the UK Solicitor representing Nirav Modi, the retired judge of the Supreme Court of India has said that Nirav Modi will become a “scapegoat” for the Indian government’s failure to stop the economy in slope.
Attacking the Indian judiciary, Judge Katju has said that the Indian judiciary is “committed” to the Executive and that a fair trial of Nirav Modi is not expected in India.
To corroborate his claim, Justice Katju has referred to a press conference held by four high-ranking Supreme Court justices in January 2018 against the then Chief Justice of India, Dipak Misra, in which the justices had raised serious problems of judicial irregularity.
Judge Katju said he has given several examples to back up his claim that the Indian judiciary “is no longer independent.” Judge Katju, however, clarified that he is not making any comment on the merits of the case (Nirav Modi) as to whether Nirav is guilty or not, as he (Judge Katju) is not aware of the facts of the case. .
Nirav Modi is the main defendant in the $ 2 billion National Bank of Punjab (GNP) scandal.
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