Mumbai: Bombay High Court has given businessman Vijay Mallya one last chance to return to India.
The court clearly said that Mallya cannot stay abroad and at the same time ask the Indian court to hear his case. Judges told him that if he wants relief from the court, he must come back and face the law in India. If he does not confirm his return, the court may refuse to hear his petition.
However, the judges have not rejected his plea yet. They have given him time and fixed the next hearing on February 18.
Mallya has challenged the law under which he was declared a “fugitive economic offender” in 2019. He says the law and the action taken against him are not correct. But the investigating agencies told the court that his claims are not true. They also said he is trying to delay the case while extradition proceedings in the United Kingdom are almost complete.
The High Court said that no one can avoid legal action and still expect the court’s protection. It made it clear that if Mallya wants his case to continue, he must return to India and take part in the legal process.
