SC to announce Mallya’s prison sentence on July 10, extradition in doubt

On May 9, a two-judge bench headed by Justice Adarsh K Goel had held Mallya guilty of contempt of court for disobeying its orders.

New Delhi, June 14: The extradition proceedings of Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya in a court at London on Tuesday has nullified every possibility of getting Mallya back before the apex court on July 10, leaving MHA in a fix on how to justify its failure.

On May 9, a two-judge bench headed by Justice Adarsh K Goel had held Mallya guilty of contempt of court for disobeying its orders by not disclosing full particulars of his assets and also violating the orders of Karnataka High Court by transferring USD 40 million received from British firm Diageo, to his three children.

The Supreme Court has directed the Union Home Ministry to secure and ensure the presence of embattled businessman Vijay Mallya, who is currently in the United Kingdom, before it on July 10 for the hearing on the quantum of punishment for contempt of court.

But what transpired in the UK court on Tuesday made clear that Vijay Mallya will not be in India on July 10 to let the Supreme Court decide his prison sentence under charges of contempt. Meanwhile, while admitting Mallya to bail till December 4, the UK magistrate questioned the delay on the part of the Indian government to bring on record the evidence against the flamboyant UB group chairman.

Chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot at Westminster magistrates' court noted that there were delays in the evidence arriving from the government of India. This observation was made after Aaron Watkins representing India said that the Crown Prosecution Service needed 4 weeks times to receive the rest of the evidence India and also to review it.

On July 10, the government may find it difficult to explain, to the apex court, reasons for deferment of extradition proceedings against Mallya in UK.

However, since the bench has already expressed its mind about expediting proceedings against Mallya in India, there is still a minor possibility that Supreme Court could pronounce the prison sentence against Mallya in absentia on July 10, News 18 reports.

Mallya, the 61-year-old chief of the erstwhile Kingfisher Airlines who owes over Rs 9,000 crore to various Indian banks, has been living in self-imposed exile in Britain since March last year.

OneIndia News