Sir — I was glad to read that the jeweller, Nirav Modi, who is wanted for fraud and money laundering in the Rs 14,000 crore Punjab National Bank financial scam, will be extradited to India (“Blow to Nirav bid to beat extradition”, Feb 26). The judge, Samuel Goozee, who presided over the trial, said that Modi’s extradition orders are in compliance with human rights laws and that, if he so wishes, he has the right to appeal against the decision. However, the judge also indicated that the case for the high-profile jeweller to face trial in India was strong as there were clearly links between him and ‘other connivers’ including bank officials who were guilty of approving the letters of undertaking supplied by Modi that facilitated the clearance of huge unpaid loans.
The nearly two-year-long legal battle follows Modi’s arrest on an extradition warrant in March 2019 in the United Kingdom. His multiple attempts at seeking bail have been repeatedly turned down, both at the magistrates’ as well as at the high court level, as he was deemed to be a flight risk. The diamantaire is the subject of two sets of criminal proceedings — the Central Bureau of Investigation case relating to a large-scale fraud upon PNB through obtaining illegal letters of undertaking or loan agreements, and the Enforcement Directorate case relating to the laundering of the proceeds of that fraud. He is also facing two additional charges of evidence tampering and intimidation of witnesses, which have been added to the CBI case. Undoubtedly, his pending trial in India will be subject to much attention.
Bhagwan Thadani,
Mumbai
Sir — After a long-drawn battle, it seems that the fugitive jeweller, Nirav Modi, will finally be extradited to India and tried before the courts in the country. He was arrested two years ago in the UK and is facing charges of fraud, money laundering and intimidation of witnesses in the Punjab National Bank scam case.
Once criminals flee their home country, it can take years for the government to have them extradited, let alone put them on trial. Many such individuals — the former chairman of the Indian Premier League, Lalit Modi, is among them — continue to evade justice owing to ambiguities in the criminal justice system. Thus, the decision of the Westminster Magistrates’ Court to allow the extradition of Nirav Modi to India is welcome.
Ultimately, this massive financial scam was possible because of corruption among bank officials as well as loopholes in the banking system in India. It is hoped that the jeweller will be brought to justice.
Anshita Rochwani,
Ujjain
Take care
Sir — It is no surprise that working from home and the lack of social gatherings during the global fight against the coronavirus have left many people in Japan feeling increasingly stressed and lonely (“Isolate the problem”, Feb 28). The administration is of the opinion that pandemic-linked isolation is primarily responsible for the first uptick in suicides in the country in the last 11 years. Thus, to battle the malaise, the Japanese government, following in the footsteps of the UK, created a loneliness countermeasures office in its cabinet earlier this month to fight problems such as suicide and child poverty.
It is a matter of grave concern that Japan reported nearly 880 female suicides just in October 2020 — a 70 per cent surge compared to October 2019. The government has also set up a task force which will see different departments work together to investigate the impact of loneliness. It has been reported that Japan has the highest suicide rate out of any country in the Group of Seven leading industrial nations, at 14.9 suicides per 1,00,000 individuals.
The UK was the first country to appoint a loneliness minister in 2018, after a 2017 report indicated that more than nine million people in the island nation revealed that they often or always felt lonely. However, it does not seem that there has been much progress. The country has gone through three loneliness ministers in three years. The government in Australia, too, has considered creating a similar position.
The coronavirus crisis appears to have aggravated the problem of isolation and loneliness, with remote work and restrictions on human contact hitting those who live alone particularly hard. The editorial rightly concludes that India must study these templates of intervention to design effective, compassionate models that are likely to be efficient under Indian conditions. Loneliness is increasingly becoming a problem in our country as well.
S.S. Paul,
Nadia
Ominous sign
Sir — As the people of the United States of America voted Joe Biden to power after Donald Trump’s tumultuous presidency, it seemed that a dark chapter in American politics might be coming to an end. However, recently at a conference in Florida, Trump, reiterating his earlier claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him, hinted at the possibility of running for the top post in the next presidential elections in 2024. The Biden administration is already facing criticism for its decision to order air strikes in Syria. Unless the Democrats solidify their presence among the public, the next elections might not be in their favour.
Anamika Saha,
Calcutta
