U.K. has said it cannot extradite Vijay Mallya, Centre informs Supreme Court

The United Kingdom authorities has instructed the Indian aspect that businessman Vijay Mallya cannot be extradited till a confidential “legal issue” regarding him is resolved, the Centre knowledgeable the Supreme Court on Monday.

An official letter from the Ministry of External Affairs, quoting excerpts from the U.K. authorities’s communication, was learn out by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta earlier than a Special Bench led by Justice U.U. Lalit.

The letter quoted the U.K. authorities saying there was a “further legal issue” to be resolved earlier than Mr. Mallya may very well be extradited.

The U.K. has refused to offer particulars of this “issue”, saying it was judicial in nature. It has additionally refused to reveal how lengthy it would take to resolve the problem, although reassuring that it knew how essential the Mallya case was to the federal government of India.

The Ministry letter quoted U.K. assuring that it was “seeking to deal with the issue as quickly as possible”.

Mr. Mehta said the federal government had been making frequent and repeated efforts to extradite Mr. Mallya from the U.K.

The letter itself associated how the Foreign Secretary had raised the problem of Mr. Mallya’s extradition with the U.K. Home Secretary in November. The Foreign Minister had executed so with the U.K. Foreign Secretary in December. This was adopted by the Home Secretary elevating it with the U.K. Permanent Under Secretary of Home in January 2021.

The courtroom listed the case for March 15.

On October 5, the courtroom had requested Mr. Mallya’s aspect to come back clear concerning the nature of a “confidential” proceedings occurring after the rejection of his enchantment in opposition to extradition within the U.K. Supreme Court.

‘Secret proceedings’

The authorities had knowledgeable that Mr. Mallya’s case within the U.K. was over, however some “secret” proceedings have been on.

The courtroom had needed to know concerning the nature of those confidential proceedings.

On August 30 2020, the Supreme Court had dismissed Mr. Mallya’s assessment petition in opposition to a May 9, 2017 verdict of contempt.

The courtroom had discovered no benefit in businessman’s three-year-old assessment plea in opposition to his conviction.

The courtroom had in May 2017 discovered Mr. Mallya responsible of contempt for wilful disobedience of its order to come back clear about his belongings and never disclosing a sum of $40 million (₹600 crore) he obtained from British liquor main Diageo Plc following his resignation as Chairman of United Spirits Limited in February 2016.

In his authentic arguments earlier than the Supreme Court in 2017, Mr. Mallya had knowledgeable the courtroom that the $40 million was one amongst “thousands of transactions” he did and couldn’t be counted as an asset. He said he had no management over that cash now as he had already disbursed it amongst his three grownup youngsters, who’re U.S. residents.

Countering allegations made by a banking consortium led by the State Bank of India, which had filed the contempt of courtroom petition in opposition to him, Mr. Mallya said he had already given an entire listing of belongings as of March 31, 2016. The courtroom had ordered him to offer the banks with a listing of his belongings in order that they may get well ₹9,200 crore as a consequence of them.

The banks had sought contempt motion in opposition to Mr. Mallya arguing that the disbursal of the $40 million amongst his three youngsters was in direct violation of a standing Karnataka High Court order that none of his belongings needs to be “alienated, disposed of or be subjected to the creation of third party rights.”