Nirav Modi’s illegal bungalow faces demolition

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Jan 15, 2019

On January 14, the Bombay High Court enquired into the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED’s) request to halt the demolition of one of the fugitive jewellery tycoon Nirav Modi’s properties, built illegally.

One of Nirav Modi’s numerous properties, located in Alibaug in Raigad district, is one of 58 beachfront structures ordered for demolition by the Raigad district collector. The buildings were constructed without proper permission and so have been scheduled for demolition. However, as Modi’s property has been attached by the ED to the fraud case against him, the ED had attempted to halt its demolition. The ED stated in court that the property was sealed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as part of the case.

As the property is attached as one of Modi’s assets in the ongoing fraud case against him, the ED was trying to preserve it. Modi remains out of the country and is refusing to stand trial for his alleged fraud at the Punjab National Bank (PNB) and so assets are even more significant in the ED’s case. The ED also showed that it had attached the property to its case long before the demolition order last month. However, the Bombay High Court ruled against the ED and stated that the building should be demolished.

A division bench of Chief Justice N H Patil and Justice N M Jamdar proceeded over the hearing of the public interest litigation (PIL) filed in 2009 by Shambhuraje Yuvakranti of the Akhil Bhartiya Maratha Seva Sangha on the issue. The court rejected the ED’s request but will hold another hearing in a month.