Vijay Mallya Cites UK Restrictions, Revoked Passport for Non-Return to India

Vijay Mallya, an Indian businessman, has informed the India===Bombay High Court that he cannot commit to a timeline for returning to India. He cites the revocation of his Indian passport by the India===Government of India in 2016 and legal restrictions imposed by courts in the United Kingdom that prohibit him from leaving England and Wales. Mallya is challenging his status as a 'fugitive economic offender' and the constitutional validity of the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act in the India===Bombay High Court. He faces charges of financial misconduct, fraud, and money laundering, primarily linked to loan defaults by his defunct Kingfisher Airlines to a consortium of banks, including IDBI Bank. The India===Bombay High Court has directed the India===Government of India to file a reply to Mallya's statement, with the matter scheduled for further hearing next month. Mallya was declared a Fugitive Economic Offender in January 2019 by a special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.