First come to India, then we'll hear your plea, Bombay HC tells Mallya

The Bombay High Court on Thursday told the lawyer appearing for liquor baron Vijay Mallya that it would hear his petition questioning the validity of the Fugitive Economic Offences (FEO) Act, 2018, and seeking various reliefs in relation to the FEO proceedings against him, only after he returns to the country.

- Karuna Nidhi

“Tell your client to appear in court first, and then we will hear the matter. Take instructions on when he will come,” the division bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad told senior advocate Amit Desai, who appeared for the absconding liquor baron, and posted his petition and connected pleas for further hearing on December 23.

Mallya, accused of defrauding nationalised banks to the tune of crores of rupees, fled the country in March 2016, around a year after the CBI registered the first criminal case against him in connection with loans taken by Kingfisher Airlines Ltd, from a consortium of banks led by IDBI Bank.

The Banking Securities & Fraud Cell of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI-BS&FC) had registered a First Information Report (FIR) in July 2015, charging him with criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and criminal misconduct relating to 900 crore in loans disbursed by IDBI Bank to Mallya's airline, where he is named as one of the accused. Based on another complaint, by the consortium of banks under the leadership of the State Bank of India, another FIR was registered in August 2016.