SC To Hear Vijay Mallya Contempt Case On January 18, 2022. Says ‘Can’t Be Waiting Any Longer’

Mallya, an accused in a bank loan default case of over Rs 9,000 crore involving his defunct Kingfisher Airlines, has been in the UK since March 2016.

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday stated that the contempt case involving fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya will be dealt with finally on January 18 next year.

Vijay Mallya is accused in a bank loan default case of over Rs 9,000 crore involving his defunct Kingfisher Airlines.

Stating that the Supreme Court has waited sufficiently long, a bench comprising Justices UU Lalit, SR Bhat, and Bela M Trivedi said: We can’t be waiting any longer now, reported news agency PTI.

It noted that Vijay Mallya was held guilty of contempt in 2017.

The apex court stated that the fugitive businessman is at liberty to advance submissions, as are deemed appropriate, and if for any reason, he is not present before the court, lawyer on his behalf can advance submissions.

“What we wish to do is, we will list this matter for disposal in second week of January because we have waited sufficiently long enough, we can’t be waiting any longer now. It has to see the light of the day at some stage or the other and the process must also get over,” the bench led by Justice UU Lalit said, as quoted by PTI.

The Supreme Court has requested senior advocate Jaideep Gupta to assist it as an amicus curiae in the matter.

Meanwhile, as per news agency ANI, the Union government has informed the Bench that Mallya’s extradition to India from the United Kingdom has attained finality, but certain “confidential proceedings” are pending in the United Kingdom. 

Mallya has already exhausted all his avenues of appeal in the UK, Centre stated.

The top court had earlier dismissed Vijay Mallya’s plea seeking review of the 2017 verdict which held him guilty of contempt for transferring USD 40 million to his children in violation of the court orders.

On January 18 this year, Centre had told SC that the government is making all efforts to extradite the fugitive businessman from United Kingdom but the process is being delayed due to some legal issues involved in the matter.

Mallya, an accused in a bank loan default case of over Rs 9,000 crore involving his defunct Kingfisher Airlines, has been in the UK since March 2016. He is on bail on an extradition warrant executed three years ago by Scotland Yard on April 18, 2017.

(With Agency Inputs)