Fugitive diamond merchant Mehul Choksi has filed a lawsuit in the London High Court against the Government of India and five individuals, alleging kidnapping and torture during a 2021 incident. Choksi, who is currently facing extradition proceedings in Belgium, is seeking 250,000 pounds in damages.

A case management hearing was held on state immunity, a principle that prevents a sovereign nation from being sued in a foreign court. Representing India, Harish Salve argued that this issue must be resolved before the case proceeds. On the other side, Edward Fitzgerald, representing Choksi, contended that the state immunity plea should be heard alongside other jurisdictional challenges raised by the defendants.

The two sides also clashed on the need for expert evidence. India argued that Indian legal expertise was necessary to support its jurisdiction application. Choksi’s legal team opposed this, saying it was unjustified and irrelevant to resolving the dispute. The five individual defendants — one of whom is a Hungarian national — are alleged to have resided in the UK and travelled between England and Antigua.