A file photo of Vijay Mallya
India has asked the United Kingdom to not extend the asylum of fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya any further, after a news report this week said that the former liquor baron had sought refuge in the UK on 'humanitarian grounds'. We have asked the UK authorities to not extend his asylum, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said in his weekly press briefing on Thursday, in response to a question by a journalist.
Mallya is reported to have fled India on March 2, 2016, amid efforts by a consortium of 17 banks to recover dues to the tune of Rs 9,000 crore that he had loaned from them through different companies.
The former boss of dissolved Kingfisher Airlines had last month moved the UK's Supreme Court against an extradition order by the London High court. The permission had been denied.
Amid speculation of Mallya's return, the United Kingdom High Commission in India said that he couldn't be extradited until the legal issues had been sorted out.
“Under United Kingdom law, extradition cannot take place until it is resolved. The issue is confidential, and we cannot go into any detail," the High Commission said in a statement on Thursday.
