Mehul Choksi’s Claim Struck Out by UK Court After Failure to Pay Security for Costs

London: The UK High Court struck out the claims made by fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi over his alleged 2021 “kidnapping” on July 20, 2026 against all the defendants. The decision was taken by the court after Choksi failed to comply with a court order requiring him to provide £677,000 as security for the defendants' legal costs.

The UK court has also asked the Choksi to pay the legal cost of the four defendants for these claims. The assessment of the costs will be made on the “standard basis” and the reasonable and proportionate amount will be determined by a court officer.

The claim of the Choksi against Gurdip Bath, Leslie Farrow-Guy, Gurmit Singh and Gurjit Singh Bhandal was struck out under a consent order signed on July 20, 2026 in the King’s Bench Division. It was because Choksi failed to pay security in line with the judgment of Justice Mansfield dated 6 February 2026 and his subsequent order of 13 February 2026.

The one-day hearing that had been scheduled before Mr Justice Mansfield on 29 July 2026 has now been cancelled, while an order issued by Mr Justice Dexter Dias on 18 May 2026 has also been set aside.

The strike-out effectively ends the core of Choksi's legal action before the English courts. Choksi, a fugitive businessman wanted in India in connection with the multi-billion-dollar Punjab National Bank fraud, claimed he was abducted from Antigua on 23 May 2021, assaulted, and forcibly transported by boat to Dominica as part of a conspiracy allegedly coordinated from England. He filed the claim against the Government of India and five individual defendants.

The case suffered a major setback in February 2026 after Mr Justice Mansfield directed Choksi to provide security for the defendants' legal costs before the matter could proceed. In his judgment, the judge concluded that the allegations were based predominantly on circumstantial evidence and pointed out that there was no independent witness testimony to support the alleged kidnapping or assault beyond Choksi's own account.

In his ruling dated 6 February 2026, Justice Mansfield stated, "There is no direct evidence of that. It is argued that it is plain as a matter of inference, given that the relevant Defendants are resident in England, and flew together to Antigua."

The judge further observed that there was no independent evidence corroborating Choksi's allegations of a violent abduction. He said,"Further, unsurprisingly, there is no witness evidence as to the kidnapping and assault of the Claimant, other than that of the Claimant himself. As is typical of conspiracy cases, much of the evidence is circumstantial and the existence and detail of the conspiracy is said to arise as a matter of inference."

Justice Mansfield also found that the Antiguan police report and the statement provided by a private investigator, both relied upon by Choksi, were founded largely on second-hand information. In addition, he referred to judgments of the Belgian courts, including the Court of Cassation, which similarly concluded that there was no evidence that Choksi had been abducted by individuals acting on behalf of the Indian state.

Although Choksi sought £200,000 in damages, the court ordered him to provide £677,000 as security for the defendants' legal costs. His failure to comply with that order ultimately led to the claim being struck out by consent.

The decision is expected to be viewed as a significant legal victory for the defendants, who have consistently rejected Choksi's allegations of involvement in the purported abduction. It also brings to a close proceedings in which Choksi publicly accused the governments of Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica of being complicit in his alleged kidnapping, despite the English court noting that no such claims had been formally pleaded against either government. Both Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica have repeatedly maintained that Choksi's kidnapping allegations were advanced in an effort to obstruct his extradition to India, where he is wanted to face charges relating to economic offences.

Choksi continues to face extradition proceedings in Belgium following his arrest there in 2025, while also challenging his designation as a fugitive economic offender before the Indian courts.