A Delhi court has issued non-bailable warrant against liquor baron Vijay Mallya for allegedly evading summons in a FERA (Foreign Exchange Regulation Act) violation matter.
Mallya has scant regard for the law of the land and has no intention to return to India, the Delhi court said while issuing the warrant.
A second non-bailable warrant has also been issued against Mallya in a 2012 cheque bounce case lodged by Delhi International Airport Private Limited (DIAL).
Metropolitan Magistrate Sumeet Anand passed the order with the direction that NBW be executed through the Ministry of External Affairs as the liquor baron is reportedly in London.
The court then listed the matter for further hearing on February 4 next year.
Mallya, who owes a consortium of banks over Rs 9,000 crore, had quietly left India in March and is currently said to be in the UK. Several cheque bounce cases have been filed against him.
The court, on August 6, had also issued an NBW against Mallya saying that coercive steps were required to ensure his appearance.
The court had earlier noted that despite repeated orders, Mallya did not appear in the court and it was inevitable for the state machinery to intervene and ensure his presence.
The trial court had summoned Mallya as accused following a complaint by Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), which operates the capital’s IGI Airport, claiming that a cheque for Rs 1 crore issued by Kingfisher Airlines (KFA) on February 22, 2012, was returned to them a month later containing the remarks – “fund insufficient”.
DIAL had filed four cases in June 2012 against Mallya over KFA’s cheques totalling Rs 7.5 crore not being honoured.
The grounded airline had issued the cheques towards payment for services availed by them at the IGI airport here.
In July this year, he had did not appear before a court in Mumbai in connection with a money laundering probe against him in alleged bank loan fraud case.