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India's Nirav Modi approaches UK High Court for bail

EMBATTLED Indian celebrity jeweller Nirav Modi applied for bail in the UK High Court today (31).

The diamondaire wanted in India for legal proceedings inconnection with fraud and money laundering charges.


The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the hearing for his bail petition will take place on June 11.

Modi, 48, was on Thursday (30) remanded till June 27 by a UK court, which directed the Indian government to confirm within two weeks which prison he is to be held in if he were to be extradited.

Modi is wanted in India to face charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to nearly $2 billion in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) case.

Earlier, Modi was arrested by uniformed Scotland Yard officers on an extradition warrant on March 19 in London and has been in prison since.

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In 2019, Xavier founded London Baron Limited, with Manavatty as its flagship product.

John Xavier

How John Xavier turned Kerala’s traditional arrack into Manavatty — a rising UK spirits brand

Highlights

  • Manavatty now available in over 250 off-licence shops across the UK and expanding to 20 countries.
  • Brand won bronze at London Spirits Competition 2025 and Spirit Bronze 2025 at International Wine and Spirit Competition.
  • Scottish National Party auctioned signed Manavatty bottles at Edinburgh for party fundraising.
When Scotland's first minister John Swinney signed a bottle of Manavatty at the Scottish National Party convention in Edinburgh on (November 15), it marked an extraordinary milestone for an entrepreneur who had resurrected a spirit banned in his native Indian state.
With Scotland's SNP elections approaching in 2026, the party selected Manavatty for their traditional fundraising auction, a recognition that few immigrant-founded brands achieve.

"It's a tradition for the SNP political party to keep a product at an auction and take the funds for party welfare," explains John Xavier, the man behind this unlikely success story.

John Xavier Manavatty was selected for SNP's traditional fundraising auctionJohn Xavier

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