New Delhi: Former liquor baron Vijay Mallya, facing probe in a loan default case of IDBI bank, was not detained as the CBI’s lookout notice did not seek to prevent his foreign travel. “The lookout circular depends on the issuing authority. Unless they ask the Bureau of Immigration (BoI) to detain a person or to stop him from boarding a plane, no action is taken. Even the agency did not inform the Union ministry of home affairs as it was not a full-fledged look-out notice,” sources said. They further said that CBI did not seek to detain him or stop him from travelling abroad and every time he travelled the agency was duly informed about it.
The sources said CBI had issued a look-out notice on October 16, 2015, six days after searches at his offices and residence. In its notice, CBI requested the BoI to inform it about Mr Mallya’s departure from India and details of destination where he might be heading. Asked why CBI did not seek to impound his passport to stop his movement abroad, the sources said “According to a Supreme Court judgement, passport of a person can only be impounded when he has been charge sheeted or a trial is pending against him.”
“Since he has been co-operating, there was no reason to stop him from moving abroad,” the sources said. They also said the agency was keeping a track on his movement but did not interfere as he has always returned. He had reportedly made four trips abroad before his departure on March 2 since a look-out notice was issued by CBI on October 16, 2015 to know his movements. They said Mr Mallya travelled abroad in the last week of October and returned in November, while he made two trips in first and last week of December and also a trip in January besides the recent trip reportedly to London on March 2.
