New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned for Thursday the hearing in connection with a contempt of court case against liquor baron and fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya in which he was found guilty of disobeying the court’s orders.
Vijay Mallya was found guilty for not disclosing full particulars of his assets in a case between the State Bank of India (SBI) and the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines.
“We will hear the matter tomorrow,” said Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, leading the Bench. The court adjourned for hearing the matter for argument on quantum of sentence against Vijay Mallya.
The Supreme Court had earlier said that Mallya was found to be guilty of having committed contempt of court. He was convicted by the apex court in 2017 for failing to disclose a transfer of $40 million to his children’s bank accounts.
Mallya, convicted for contempt of court in 2017, is currently in Britain.
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The liquor baron is facing extradition proceedings and other charges in the UK for alleged involvement in money laundering.
Last year, the top court while saying that it has waited “long enough” and cannot “wait longer now” for Mallya to get extradited from the United Kingdom to India, decided to go ahead with the hearing on quantum of punishment in the contempt case against him.
Earlier, Solicitor General appearing for Ministry of External Affairs, had furnished a document of Deputy Secretary (Extradition) Ministry of External Affairs, to which the bench had said the proceedings for extradition of Mallya to India from United Kingdom has attained finality but certain “confedential proceedings” are pending in UK, details of which are not known.
Centre had also said that Mallya has already exhausted all his avenues of appeal in UK.
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On the previous occasion, the Centre had informed the top court that legal complexities in the United Kingdom are preventing the extradition of fugitive Mallya, but the government of India is making all efforts and doing its best to extradite him.
The Centre had further said that extradition of Mallya was ordered by the highest court of the United Kingdom but it has not been put into effect. The government had said it is not aware of the “secret’ ongoing proceedings in UK which is delaying Mallya’s extradition.
The apex court had dismissed a plea filed by Mallya seeking a review of its May 2017 order holding him guilty of contempt.
Mallya is an accused in a bank loan default case of over Rs 9,000 crore involving his defunct Kingfisher Airlines and is presently in the United Kingdom.
The Supreme Court had issued its May 9, 2017, order on a plea by a consortium of banks led by the SBI, claiming he had allegedly transferred USD 40 million received from British firm Diageo to his children in “flagrant violation” of various judicial orders.
Earlier, the apex court had asked Mallya about the “truthfulness” of his disclosure of assets and the transfer of money to his children.
Agencies
