The Bombay High Court on Tuesday took a firm stance in Vijay Mallya’s long-standing legal saga, ordering the Solicitor General to respond to his claims of being unable to return from the UK. Mallya’s counsel revealed during the hearing that English courts have barred their client from departing the country, leaving no definite date for his appearance in Indian courts.
Presided over by Chief Justice D. Chandrashankar and Justice Gautam Ankhad, the session addressed Mallya’s challenges to his Fugitive Economic Offender status. Represented by veteran lawyer Amit Desai, Mallya invoked Supreme Court rulings permitting virtual or in-absentia hearings. Desai emphasized the active extradition case in London as the primary hurdle.
Skeptical of Mallya’s intentions, the bench interrogated whether he had contested the UK restrictions. Dismissing it as a stalling tactic, the court instructed Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to counter Mallya’s affidavit comprehensively. All oral submissions were ordered converted into affidavits to formalize the record for governmental rebuttal.
With the petitions pending since 2019 and minimal proactive efforts from Mallya, the division bench set a three-week deadline for responses. The adjourned date is March 11, marking another chapter in the tycoon’s evasion of accountability over Kingfisher’s colossal debts.
Mallya’s troubles stem from unpaid loans totaling thousands of crores, triggering FEO proceedings under a 2018 law aimed at curbing economic fugitives. As banks recover assets piecemeal, this hearing highlights judicial impatience with procedural delays. Stakeholders await whether Mallya’s UK entanglements will prolong his date with Indian justice or force a breakthrough.