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

Vijay Mallya loses $1.55-bn case, banks can seize UK assets: Top facts

Fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya is wanted in India for his Kingfisher Airlines' default on nearly Rs 90 billion worth of loans, among other cases

In a major blow to business tycoon Vijay Mallya, a UK high court on Tuesday ruled in favour of Indian banks seeking to collect more than $1.55 billion from him. The court refused to overturn an Indian court's worldwide order for freezing of Mallya's assets.

Mallya and his now defunct Kingfisher Airlines are embroiled in several court cases ranging from money laundering to tax evasion and loan defaults. The tycoon has been on an self-imposed exile in the UK since he left India on March 2, 2016.

What the judgment implies

The UK high court judgment will enable banks to enforce an earlier judgment of an Indian court against Mallya's assets in England and Wales. The worldwide freezing order prevents Mallya from "removing any assets from England and Wales up to that value or to in any way dispose of, deal with or diminish the value of his assets in or outside of this jurisdiction, up to the same value".

Who were the applicants?

The litigation in the Queen's Bench Division of the commercial court in England's High Court of Justice lists State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Corporation bank, Federal Bank Ltd, IDBI Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Jammu & Kashmir Bank, Punjab & Sind Bank, Punjab National Bank, State Bank of Mysore, UCO Bank, United Bank of India and JM Financial Asset Reconstruction Co Pvt Ltd as applicants.

The extradition case

The 62-year-old former industrialist is waging another fight in a different court to block his extradition to India over financial irregularities and money laundering cases.

The case is being heard by the Westminster Magistrate Court in London and the final verdict is expected on July 11.

On 27th April, Indian authorities received a major boost in the case as the court accepted bulk of the evidence submitted by them.

In April last year, Mallya had been arrested by Scotland Yard on an extradition warrant. He is out on a bail bond worth 650,000 pounds.(Read more)