There were multiple reports in the media last night that fugitive business tycoon Vijay Mallya was being extradited to India. A few reports even emerged that Mallya had boarded an India-bound flight. However, as per the latest developments, none of this is true.
Mallya had lost the extradition battle on May 14th
Vijay Mallya had lost his final extradition battle in UK courts on May 14th. As per the rules, he is supposed to be extradited within 28 days of the date or else, he can ask the courts to discharge him.
A consortium of Indian banks has brought £1.05 billion bankruptcy proceedings against Mallya. Apart from this, Mallya is also in a legal battle with Diageo.
Mallya did not board any plane yesterday
Contrary to reports, Mallya’s assistant said to Times of India that she was not aware of him returning to India on Wednesday. A senior official at the Indian High Commission in London also said that there is no extradition happening “as of now”. He further said that the situations have changed and there will be delays.
The delay is because Home Secretary Priti Patel has not signed extradition papers due to legal reasons. There are reports that Mallya is going to apply for asylum while also, the delay is also said to be because of his pending civil cases in the UK.
A spokesperson of the Metropolitan Police said that no date has been arranged for the extradition of Vijay Mallya. It is essentially this group that will accompany Mallya to the airport and hand him over to the Indian officials.
Source: Times of India
