A Mumbai court issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against corruption-accused Lalit Modi on Wednesday, a move that could take the authorities a step closer to bringing the tainted cricket mogul back to the country from London.

Modi, 49, who is often credited with the success of the Indian Premier League, is accused of tax evasion and money-laundering by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). 

Lalit Modi had failed to respond to the ED's notice on 3 July to surrender within two weeks for investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The arrest warrant will now help the agency summon Modi to India, and if he is convicted under the act, he could face a jail term of up to seven years.

"We will now forward the court's orders to the Home Ministry. They could forward it then to the Home Department in the UK or to the Interpol," an Enforcement Directorate official told NDTV.

The next move for the government would be to impound Modi's passport, which the NDA government is already moving ahead on, according to Hindustan Times.

Modi recently created a flutter in political corridors in India after it emerged that External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had allegedly facilitated travel documents for him, while Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje reportedly testified for him before UK authorities. 

The Lalit Modi case has hit the ruling BJP-led NDA government hard, with the Opposition disrupting Parliamentary proceedings on the issue and demanding the government sack Swaraj and Raje.  

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