Fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya faced renewed scrutiny in the Bombay High Court as his lawyers admitted uncertainty over his return to India, pinned on UK judicial restraints. The Tuesday proceedings on his petitions contesting the Fugitive Economic Offender tag unfolded before Chief Justice Chandrashankar and Justice Gautam Ankhad.
Senior counsel Amit Desai pleaded that extradition battles in England tie Mallya’s hands, referencing apex court allowances for absent petitioners. Yet the bench pierced through, demanding proof of challenges to those overseas orders and labeling the stance evasive.
In a decisive move, the court tasked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta with filing a detailed rejoinder to Mallya’s sworn statement. It further required today’s verbal exchanges to be affidavit-ized, ensuring a solid paper trail for the Centre’s input.
Adjourning for three weeks amid observations on the 2019-filed pleas’ sluggish progress due to Mallya’s laxness, the next listing is March 11. This comes against Mallya’s backdrop of fleeing India in 2016 amid Kingfisher Airlines’ collapse, saddling banks with over Rs 9,000 crore in non-performing assets.
The FEO declaration, upheld by the Supreme Court, strips Mallya of defenses against asset confiscation. As global recovery efforts intensify—including property attachments in the UK and US—this Bombay HC directive could catalyze momentum, compelling transparency on Mallya’s travel impediments and hastening accountability for one of India’s biggest banking scams.