Issue of Vijay Mallya raising condition of Indian jails in UK mentioned in SC

New Delhi, Aug 8: The issue of embattled businessman Vijay Mallya speaking about deplorable conditions in Indian jails before a London court found mention in the Supreme Court which was hearing a matter related to prison reforms.

"You must be aware of certain things happening in a foreign country about prisons in India," a bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur told Attorney General K K Venugopal.

The observation by the apex court assumes significance as liquor baron Mallya, against whom extradition proceedings are going on in Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, has been raising the issue of alleged deplorable conditions in the Indian prisons.

An advocate, assisting the court as an amicus curiae, said that Mallya has raised this issue before the court abroad. The London court had recently asked the Indian authorities to submit within three weeks a video of a cell at Mumbai's Arthur Road Jail where they plan to keep Mallya if he is extradited.

During the hearing, Venugopal said he has also read articles published in foreign countries about jails in India. The issue cropped up when the apex court was dealing with a matter relating to inhuman conditions prevailing in 1,382 prisons across the country.

The 62-year-old former Kingfisher Airlines boss, who has been on bail on an extradition warrant since his arrest in April last year, is fighting extradition to India on charges of alleged fraud and money laundering amounting to around Rs 9,000 crore.

PTI