A special CBI court has rejected diamantaire Mehul Choksi’s plea challenging the summons issued to him in a ₹55-crore bank loan fraud case.

Special CBI Judge J.P. Darekar upheld the magistrate court’s order, saying it was legally sound and did not require any interference.

Last year, a magistrate court had taken cognisance of a CBI chargesheet in the case and issued summons to Choksi and two former Gitanjali Group employees, Vipul Chitalia and Aniyath Nair.

Choksi argued that the summons were issued in a hurried and mechanical manner, without proper consideration of the chargesheet. His lawyers claimed the order lacked detailed reasons and did not clearly explain the role of the accused.

The CBI opposed the plea, stating that the chargesheet clearly mentioned the role of each accused and that the magistrate’s order was justified.

After hearing both sides, the special court ruled that the magistrate’s order was neither mechanical nor illegal, and dismissed Choksi’s plea.

According to the CBI, Canara Bank and Bank of Maharashtra had given ₹55 crore in loans to Bezel Jewellery for business purposes. The money was allegedly misused, and the company failed to repay the loan, causing losses to the banks.

Choksi and his nephew Nirav Modi are also accused in the ₹13,500-crore Punjab National Bank fraud case. Choksi is currently fighting a bail case in Belgium, while Nirav Modi has been in a London jail since 2019.