Give us Mallya, we’ll give him the toilet he wants: Modi govt to UK court

Five photos of western style toilets were presented to convince the court that acceptable standards would be extended to Mallya

The Narendra Modi government gave an assurance on Tuesday to the British court hearing its application for the extradition of businessman Vijay Mallya to India that if sent back, Mallya will be provided a private western style toilet and wash facilities at Mumbai’s Arthur Road prison, where he is proposed to be held.

Barrister Mark Summers, appearing for the British Crown Prosecution Service on behalf of the Government of India, said: “The Indian government will honour these assurances.” He had earlier submitted a third letter of assurance on the subject to the court, presided over by the Chief Magistrate of the Westminster Magistrates’ Court Emma Arbuthnot.

Mallya was the owner of the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines, which is alleged to owe Rs 90 billion to Indian banks, his figure being Rs 55 billion. He is liable as he provided his personal guarantee in drawing the money. The extradition matter, though, is only about Rs 7.5 billion borrowed from IDBI Bank, where he and executives of the bank are accused of conspiracy and fraud. Mallya denies the charge and is otherwise a significant shareholder in United Breweries, which produces Kingfisher Beer….READ FULL STORY