[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]T[/dropcap]he entire monsoon session of parliament ended without conducting any business over Lalitgate, and the issue may resurface all over again in the winter session which started on Thursday. In between nothing has happened to give any hope that India’s most infamous economic offender will ever be brought back to the country to face prosecution.
The dreaded Chhota Rajan has been nabbed and brought back, but Chhota Modi continued to cock a snook at the law enforcing authorizes and political masters of the country. So much so that on November 20, the former Indian Premier League chief tweeted: Like I said months ago – go try and get a Red corner notice – I again say – Political Motivated cases have 0 chance…”
His tweet came four days after reports that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has written to the Home ministry asking it to initiate extradition proceedings against him in a money laundering case.
[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]T[/dropcap]he NDA government decided to request the Interpol to issue Red Corner Notice (RCN) against Lalit Modi way back on June 26 at a high-level meeting attended among others by Prime Minister Narednra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Subsequently, senior ministers of the government came on record and confirmed that the government was going to bring back the man whose association with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and their family members had caused a furore and stalled the entire monsoon session of parliament. The Opposition had sought the resignations of Sushma and Raje for helping Lalit Modi, forcing the government to declare that it was going to have the former Cricket Czar brought back to India to face prosecution.
But Lalit Modi continues to enjoy a cosy life in UK and giving advice to the ED to crack down on the HSBC if it was serious about black money.
[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]S[/dropcap]ources said after the ED failed to impress the Interpol to issue RCN against Lalit Modi, the ED wrote to the home ministry to seek his extradition. Earlier, through the CBI, the ED had asked the Interpol to issue a red corner notice against Modi.
Political Motivated cases have 0 chance…
– Lalit Modi
The Interpol reportedly sent three queries to the ED seeking clarifications on various aspects of the case. The ED replied to all the three notices, but still Interpol did not act.
Aware that it will face tough questions in the Parliament over progress made to bring back Lalit Modi, the Government is likely start an extradition proceedings to satisfy the opposition members.
[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]T[/dropcap]he extradition will be a subject of a prolonged legal battle even though a non-bailable warrant (NBW) has been issued against Lalit Modi by a Mumbai court. As per the procedure, the Home ministry will send the NBW to the UK authorities through foreign ministry to make a case for the Chhota Modi’s extradition.
Interestingly, when Prime Minister Modi visited the UK recently, it was expected that he would take up the case of Lalit Modi extradition with the British authorities. After all, here was a scandal where his top ministers were directly accused of helping the man accused of money laundering among other crimes. Surprisingly, the PM did not touch on this issue even as back home the Congress went to town asking him to bring back Lalit Modi to India.
The silence of the PM on this issue fueled speculation about a possible patch up between the regime and the economic offender. After all, bringing him back to India is like planting time bomb in one’s own home. The man knows far too much for the comfort of the political class which has shared the pies and plumbs of cricket with him for years.
[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]D[/dropcap]espite the fact the PM Modi is spending more time on international diplomacy and less time on domestic politics, the India government has failed to ensure that the Interpol issues a red corner notice against Lalit Modi. The man has shown a sore thumb to the entire might of the Modi government even as he shoots challenging tweets in utter defiance.
While it is amusing why the PM did not take up the case of his extradition with the British authorities, his own Enforcement Directorate has now knocked at the door of the Home ministry to start such proceedings to bring him back to India.
The ED has called for initiating extradition proceedings after the Interpol refused to issue red comer notice against Lalit Modi. Media report have exposed an unholy nexus between Interpol authorities and Lalit Modi and shown how the international law enforcing authorities was trying to shield him. Still, the Indian government has been helpless in dealing with him.
The issue is likely to figure in winter session of parliament all over again. Will the government explain why Chhota Modi is turning to be more powerful than Chhota Rajan?
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