Setback for Mehul Choksi as UK court orders £6,00,000 security of costs
The court observed in the order passed on Friday that it cannot be said that there is a high probability of the claimant (Choksi) succeeding on his claims.
New Delhi: In a setback to Mehul Choksi, a UK court has issued an order of security of costs on the fugitive diamantaire, who is suing the government of India and five others for damages over claims that he was abducted in Antigua and Barbuda in 2021 as part of a conspiracy.
Officials familiar with the development said that the court on Friday has imposed security of costs worth over 6,00,000 pounds on Choksi. (HT File Photo)
{{^htLoading}} {{/htLoading}}
Officials familiar with the development said that the court on Friday has imposed security of costs worth over 6,00,000 pounds on Choksi pending a verdict on his claim of damages. Four of the defendants had sought the order.
An order for security for costs protects a party (often a defendant) against the risk that they will win at trial and be awarded their costs, but then not be able to enforce a costs order against the other (losing) party, either within the jurisdiction or abroad.
{{^htLoading}} {{/htLoading}}
{{^usCountry}}
The court of Justice Mansfield at King’s Bench in the UK high court, observed in the order passed on Friday that it cannot be said that there is a high probability of the claimant (Choksi) succeeding on his claims.
{{/usCountry}}
{{#usCountry}}
The court of Justice Mansfield at King’s Bench in the UK high court, observed in the order passed on Friday that it cannot be said that there is a high probability of the claimant (Choksi) succeeding on his claims.
{{/usCountry}}
In May 2024, Choksi had sued the Indian government and Gurdip Bath, Barbara Jarabik, Gurmit Singh, Gurjit Singh Bhandal and Leslie Farrow-Guy, all UK residents. He alleged that on May 23, 2021, he was kidnapped in Antigua and taken by boat to Dominica at the behest of India, a charge denied by the Indian government at multiple forums. Choksi alleged that Bath, Jarabik, Singh, Bhandal and Farrow-Guy were involved and he was assaulted during the voyage. He has claimed damages for alleged injuries (both physical and psychiatric) sustained.
{{^htLoading}} {{/htLoading}}
During the proceedings, Singh, Bhandal, Farrow-Guy and Bath had demanded that Choksi deposit “security for costs” of 8,00,000 pounds with the court to cover their expenses in case they got a favourable verdict.
“Taking all the circumstances into account, in my judgment it would be just to make an order for security for costs. This is not one of those rare cases where it can be seen that there is a high probability of success, either on the preliminary issues or at trial. I do not find that it would be unjust to order security because of the seriousness of the allegations against the defendants. Given that there is a dispute of fact as to whether the defendants were involved in kidnapping and assaulting Choksi, I cannot proceed on the basis that they were. Given the circumstances I have outlined above, there is a real risk that an order for costs against Choksi would not be capable of enforcement. On the other hand, I am not satisfied that the claim would be stifled if I order security,” the order states.
Neeraj Chauhan is a senior journalist with Hindustan Times and an investigative reporter specialising in national security, terrorism, organised crime, narcotics, corruption, financial crime and complex investigations. With over 21 years of experience across Hindustan Times, The Times of India, The Indian Express and The Pioneer, he has built deep expertise in India’s internal security and law-enforcement landscape. Neeraj has extensively covered India’s principal investigative, intelligence and security agencies, including the NIA, CBI, ED, IB, R&AW, MHA and other central security forces. His work has included deeply reported investigations into terrorism, terror financing, cross-border crime, narcotics trafficking, cybercrime, financial fraud and political and corporate corruption. He has reported on some of the most significant terror attacks and security developments in India over the past two decades, including the Delhi serial blasts, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and the recent Pahalgam attack. His reporting has also chronicled the rise and decline of the Indian Mujahideen, the activities and subsequent crackdown on the Popular Front of India (PFI), Islamist extremist networks, the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir, insurgencies in the Northeast and Maoist violence. Some of Neeraj’s major breaking stories are in Aryan Khan drug case, Sushant Singh Rajput suicide, interception of a 3,000-kg Afghan heroin consignment worth about ₹21,000 crore at Mundra port, Sri Lanka easter bombings, Aarushi-Hemraj murders in Noida, 2G scam, coal block allocation scam, AgustWestland VVIP chopper deal and major bank frauds and extradition cases involving Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya. His reporting is marked by an ability to cultivate sources, analyse confidential and complex documents, and follow investigations over several years—from the initial breakthrough to chargesheets, trials and international legal proceedings. He specialises in making complicated security and investigative developments accessible while examining their wider implications for governance and public policy. A Chevening South Asia Journalism Programme Fellow at the University of Westminster, Neeraj also spent time at the Financial Times as part of the fellowship. He was also a Robert Bosch Media Ambassadors India-Germany Fellow, studying at the University of Tübingen and working with Der Tagesspiegel in Berlin. He has previously taught investigative journalism and crime reporting as a guest faculty member at the Times School of Journalism. Over more than two decades, Neeraj has established himself as an authoritative voice on India’s national security and investigative landscape, with his reporting closely followed by officials, investigators, lawyers, policymakers and readers seeking insight into some of the country’s most complex and consequential developments.
Get the latest India News, breaking headlines and real-time updates from across the country. Stay informed about politics, government policies, crime, weather major national developments and Karnataka Bandh LIVE.
Get the latest India News, breaking headlines and real-time updates from across the country. Stay informed about politics, government policies, crime, weather major national developments and Karnataka Bandh LIVE.
Home/India News/Setback for Mehul Choksi as UK court orders £6,00,000 security of costs
{{^htLoading}}
Advertisement
{{/htLoading}}
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
{{#usCountry}}{{/usCountry}}
Notifications
Get breaking alerts directly from the newsroom
Notifications are on!You'll be notified when news breaks
