India, March 24 -- A former Punjab National Bank (PNB) clerk has moved a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Mumbai seeking to be cleared of charges in the Rs.13,700-crore fraud case linked to fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi. The court is expected to hear the plea on April 13.

The application was filed by Manoj Hanumant Kharat, who has argued that the evidence against him, even if accepted as true, does not show that he was part of any criminal conspiracy, cheating, or corruption.

The Rs.13,700-crore PNB fraud, exposed in 2018, involved diamond trader Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi. They allegedly used fake bank guarantees, known as Letters of Undertaking (LoUs), issued from PNB's Mumbai branch to secure loans ...