Vijay Mallya is a proclaimed offender for evading summons says Delhi Court

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate passed the order after noting that Mallya failed to appear before it despite repeated summonses

Vijay Mallya/ AFP Photo-File

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Thursday declared beleaguered businessman Vijay Mallya a proclaimed offender for evading summons in a FERA violation case. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Deepak Shehrawat passed the order after noting that Mallya failed to appear before it despite repeated summonses. He said,"In view that Vijay Mallya failed to appear before this court within 30 days, and no representation was made on his behalf, he is declared as proclaimed offender," the court said. The court had on April 12 last year issued an open-ended non-bailable warrant against the liquor baron. The anti-money laundering agency had issued summons to the businessman in connection with alleged payment of USD 200,000 to a British firm for displaying Kingfisher logo during the Formula One World Championships in London and some European countries in 1996, 1997 and 1998. It had claimed that the money was allegedly paid without prior approval of the RBI in violation of Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) norms.