By Times Headline Writer
A Delhi court on Friday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against liquor baron and founder-owner of Kingfisher Airlines Vijay Mallya for allegedly evading summons in a FERA violation case. Mallya has scant regard for the law of the land and has no intention to return to India, the court said. The court also said Mallya’s claim that he wants to return to India but his passport has been revoked was malafide and abuse of process.
The Supreme Court had earlier asked the liquor baron to appear before it in a case of allegedly evading summons in the FERA violation matter. Advocate N K Matta, appearing for the ED, also told the court that under the provisions of law, Mallya can be given travel documents, even if he has no passport. The ED counsel also opposed Mallya’s plea seeking exemption from personal appearance on the ground of lack of passport.
The Supreme Court had also last week directed Mallya to adduce details of $40 million, which he had allegedly received from British firm Diageo in February. Expressing displeasure at Mallya not coming clean on disclosure of all his assets including the money that he reportedly received from Diageo, a bench of Justices Kurian Joseph and Rohinton F Nariman asked him to furnish complete details of his assets abroad in four weeks.
Currently, Kingfisher owes over Rs 9,000 crore to 17 banks including the SBI, IDBI Bank, PNB, BoI, Bank of Baroda, United Bank of India, Central Bank, UCO Bank, Corporation Bank, Indian Overseas Bank , Federal Bank , Punjab and Sind Bank, Axis Bank among others. So far, the ED has attached Mallya’s properties worth over Rs 8,000 crore under PMLA after the agency expanded its probe into the case. On August 23, the ED registered a fresh case against Mallya and Kingfisher for loan default of Rs 6,027 cr.
