SC awards 4-month jail to Vijay Mallya for contempt of court
New Delhi, July 11: The Supreme Court sentenced liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya to four months jail sentence and fine of Rs 2,000 for contempt of court case. Mallya was found guilty of contempt of court in 2017 for withholding information from it.
Supreme Court also directed Mallya to return USD 40 million with interest within four weeks failure of which would lead to the seizure of his properties and imposed a fine of Rs 2000 on Mallya.
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Earlier on July 9, the apex court, during the hearing, had noted that Mallya behaves like "a free person" in the United Kingdom and no information was forthcoming about the proceedings concerning Mallya there.
Senior advocate Jaideep Gupta, assisting the bench in the case had submitted that Mallya was held guilty on two counts - for not disclosing assets and violating expressive orders of restraint passed by the Karnataka High Court.
Earlier, the top court while saying that it has waited "long enough" and cannot "wait longer now" for Mallya to get extradited from the United Kingdom to India, decided to go ahead with the hearing on the quantum of punishment in the contempt case against him.
The top court had held Mallya guilty of contempt of court for transferring USD 40 million to his children in violation of the court's order and sought his presence before it on various occasions.
Earlier also Supreme Court granted the last opportunity of two weeks for Mallya to personally present or through counsel in the contempt case against him and if he fails to do so the court will take the matter to the logical conclusion.
The apex court had dismissed a plea filed by Mallya seeking a review of its May 2017 order holding him guilty of contempt.
Mallya is accused of a bank loan default case of over Rs 9,000 crore involving his defunct Kingfisher Airlines and is presently in the United Kingdom.
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The Supreme Court had issued its May 9, 2017, order on a plea by a consortium of banks led by the State Bank of India (SBI), claiming he had allegedly transferred USD 40 million received from British firm Diageo to his children in "flagrant violation" of various judicial orders.
-PTC News
