New pictures of Mehul Choksi emerge, show injury marks

NEW DELHI: Pictures of fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi have surfaced on social media which showed several marks of bruises on his face and shoulders, even as a private jet landed in Dominica from Qatar. Antigua News Room, a news outlet in Antigua and Barbuda, posted several pictures of Choksi with swollen eyes and several bruises on his arm. In a tweet it said, "First pictures emerge of Mehul Choksi behind bars."

On Thursday night, Choksi's lawyer Vijay Agarwal had told IANS that Mehul Choksi was forced to get into a vessel from Antigua and was taken to Dominica. He also claimed that there were marks on Choksi's body, implying the use of force. However, Antigua Police Commissioner Atlee Rodney has rubbished the claims of Choksi's counsel and said that they have no information on him being forcefully removed.

On Saturday, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne also confirmed that a private jet has landed in Dominica with certain documents related to his case.

A Dominican court has restrained on Choksi's deportation to India following a habeas corpus filed by his lawyers. The High Court of Dominica on Friday once again "restrained" the extradition of fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi, who is wanted in India in Rs 13,500 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case.

Justice M.E. Birnie Stephenson, in her order, extended the injunction on removing Choksi from Dominica "until further or other hearing of this application is continued until the further hearing of this matter". On Saturday, the United Progressive Party of Antigua noted the recent statements attributed to Prime Minister Gaston Browne in relation to Choksi, a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda. "In a shocking statement on the matter, Prime Minister Browne indicated that the Government of Dominica should deport Choksi directly to India and not return him to Antigua and Barbuda because he would be protected by the Constitution here," the UPP said. "This statement is both irresponsible and frightening. It is not for the Prime Minister to decide who is entitled to the protection of the Constitution. We are a nation of laws: Every citizen of Antigua and Barbuda is entitled to due process and the rule of law must be respected by all," it said.

"It was the Gaston Browne Administration that granted citizenship to Choksi. Under Section 9 of the India Citizenship Act, once a citizen of India accepts citizenship of another country, his Indian citizenship is automatically cancelled," it said, adding that accordingly, as inconvenient and embarrassing as it may be for the Government, Choksi is a citizen of Antigua and Barbuda", not India.

Following the statement of UPP, Agarwal said that my client (Choksi) is a human being, not some pawn that he can be just put in any square in the game of chess as per anybody's desire or on anybody's statement. (IANS)

Also Read: Mehul Choksi to remain in Dominica, next hearing on June 2: Court

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