- By Aditya Jha
- Sat, 27 Sep 2025 09:52 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
PNB Scam Case: A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court has granted a pardon to Maiank Mehta, brother-in-law of absconding businessman Nirav Modi, in the case linked to the Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam. The court officially announced Mehta as an approver, providing a major boost to the efforts of the prosecutors. While granting him pardon on September 22, Special CBI Judge AV Gujarathi stated that Mehta will extend his support to the investigators. In his plea, Mehta asserted that he voluntarily came to India in September 2021 to participate in the proceedings.
Special CBI Judge AV Gujarathi granted Mehta the pardon on the condition that he will provide “full and true disclosure of the whole of the circumstances within knowledge relative to offence and every other person concerned”. Mehta is a British citizen and has been residing in Hong Kong for more than three decades. He is an accused in the CBI case registered under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating), 409 (criminal breach of trust) and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
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The court further directed Mehta to present himself before the court and participate in the ongoing proceeding against Nirav Modi. “The prosecution shall take necessary steps to facilitate the approach of the accused to India to take part in the proceeding as soon as may be, in the facts and circumstances prevailing currently,” the court stated.
Absconding businessmen Mehul Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi are prime accused in the multi-crore PNB scam and are being probed by both the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate. Choksi and Modi are accused of allegedly siphoning off more than Rs 13,000 crore from the bank using Letters of Undertaking (LoU) and foreign letters of credit (FLCs).