Passport suspended, makes no difference

Even as the speculation mounted about the whereabouts of diamond czar Nirav Modi – whether he is in New York, Hong Kong, Switzerland or London -- the Ministry of External Affairs took the belated step of suspending Nirav and his partner Mehul Choksi’s passports for a period of four weeks.

The suspension may make little difference on the ground as Modi is believed to have citizenship or permanent resident status of Belgium as well.

Modi has a business footprint across the world but is known to spend a lot of time in the US. Some associates in the diamond trade claim to have seen him use a Belgian passport while travelling.

So, once his whereabouts are known then the MEA can take up the matter with the country concerned. But even then the further course of action will hinge on the existence of bilateral extradition treaties or arrangements.

If no treaties exist then the Indian government can only make an official request. But countries seldom yield to such requests as has been MEA’s experience with UK in Vijay Mallya’s case.

And deportation, in any case, is a long drawn affair with human rights and other issues coming into play. Nonetheless, MEA has made a beginning. The two diamond dealers have been asked to respond within a week as to why their passports should not be impounded or revoked under the Passports Act 1967. India does not allow dual citizenship but there is no way the Ministry of External Affairs can determine whether an individual holds a passport of another country unless they are caught with it.