"Can't Travel 41 Hours To India": Mehul Choksi Tells Court, Blames Agency
NEW DELHI:Fugitive jeweller Mehul Choksi has told a court in Mumbai that he cannot travel to India, where he is wanted by investigating agencies for loan fraud, as he cannot bear a 41-hour journey from Antigua because of his poor health.
In a written reply to the court, Mehul Choksi, 59, has accused the Enforcement Directorate of misleading the court by not revealing his health condition and the fact that he has been in touch with banks and wants to settle his dues. He said he was willing to join the investigation through video-conferencing.
The Enforcement Directorate has asked the court to declare Mehul Choksi a fugitive economic offender and seize his properties.
Mehul Choksi was granted citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda last year and he took the oath of allegiance to that country on January 15. Just days later, on January 29, the CBI filed a case and started investigating him and his nephew Nirav Modi.
Mehul Choksi and Nirav Modi are accused of a Rs. 13,000 crore fraud involving fake guarantees in the name of state-run Punjab National Bank to secure loans abroad. They both skipped the country in January. Choksi left the country for medical treatment in the US.
Earlier this month, global police body Interpol issued a red corner notice against Choksi on the CBI's request.
Last month, his lawyer said he could return to India in three months if his "condition gets better".
India is making efforts to bring back Choksi from Antigua under the provision of a law of the island nation, which provides for extradition of a fugitive to a designated Commonwealth country.
India and Antigua do not have a bilateral extradition pact.
courtesy: ndtv.com
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Lok Sabha refers Corporate Laws (Amendment) Bill to JPC
New Delhi (PTI): The Lok Sabha on Monday referred the Corporate Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, to a joint parliamentary committee comprising members from both Houses of Parliament for a detailed analysis and recommendations.
The decision was taken following a voice vote after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman suggested it.
Earlier, after the Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha, opposition members Manish Tewari (Congress), Saugata Roy (Trinamool Congress) and T Sumathy (DMK) strongly opposed it, alleging that the legislation sought to dilute the provisions of law under which companies mandatorily have to pay 2 per cent of their profits towards corporate social responsibility (CSR).
The finance minister strongly refuted the allegations and said that the Bill has been introduced after two years of deliberations.
She said the apprehensions of the members were unfounded as the Bill seeks to amend only the criteria of net profits, not the entire clause related to CSR.
Sitharaman then suggested to Speaker Om Birla that the Bill be sent to a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) for extensive deliberations and proper suggestions.
At this, Tewari said that since a parliamentary standing committee on corporate affairs is already in place, the Bill should be sent to that panel rather than constituting a new JPC.
Intervening the Congress MP, Home Minister Amit Shah said that none of the opposition members talked about referring the legislation to a parliamentary committee, and now, when the finance minister herself has sought it, they were arguing as to which panel the Bill should be sent.
Speaker Birla then put the proposal of the finance minister to a vote, and it was approved with a voice vote by the House, sending the Bill to a JPC for which the members will be selected later.
The Corporate Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, aims to amend the Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) Act, 2008, and the Companies Act to facilitate ease of doing business and address the gaps identified by the Company Law Committee in its 2022 report.
The Union Cabinet had already okayed the proposed Bill, aimed at further easing the compliance burden on businesses and advancing the government’s agenda of decriminalising minor corporate offences.
The proposed amendments are expected to rationalise penalties, shift several minor procedural lapses from criminal liability to monetary penalties, and streamline regulatory processes to promote ease of doing business.
The reforms are also aimed at improving the overall corporate compliance framework while reducing litigation and encouraging a more facilitative regulatory environment for companies and LLPs.
Sitharaman also said the Bill is aimed at promoting further ease of doing business and ease of living for corporates by decriminalising more provisions and amending certain other provisions.
It is aimed at providing ease of compliance for ‘one person companies’, small companies, startups and producer companies, the minister said in the Bill's statement of objects and reasons.
According to Sitharaman, the amendments also seek to streamline the existing regulatory practices to strengthen as well as recognise new concepts in light of the rapidly evolving corporate landscape and changing business practices.
