Vijay Mallya\'s last resort appeal against extradition comes up in UK court tomorrow
London: The fate-deciding hearing for fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya is due on Tuesday in the appeals court of the England and Wales high court, Hindustan Times reported.
The oral hearing of Vijay Mallya's application to appeal against his extradition to India is the last resort for the businessman.
Earlier, on April 5, Mallya's written application was refused by Justice William Davis.
The extradition of Mallya--who is wanted in India on charges of defaulting on loans amounting to Rs 9,000 crore--expedited after home secretary Sajid Javid's February 4 order.
A spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which acts on behalf of the Indian government in UK courts, said: “The oral hearing on whether or not Vijay Mallya should be granted permission to appeal against extradition will be on 2 July at the High Court.”
“It is listed for one day. The judges will probably reserve their decision, but if the argument ends early enough they could give their decision the same day”.
On Tuesday, if the oral arguments fail, Mallya would be exhausted with legal options in the United Kingdom and would be deported to India within days.
Legal experts say that he could try to further delay the process by seeking to appeal to the European Court of Justice on the grounds of 'violation of human rights'. He can advocate that his extradition is politically motivated and his medical needs won't be fulfilled in an Indian jail. Observers, however, believe that this tactic is unlikely to succeed.
The Indian authorities have already presented enough evidence to prove, Mallya, a diabetic, would be held at Mumbai's Arthur Road jail in accordance with international standards. In fact, as part of the initial extradition hearing, video evidence was presented on demanded of Westministers Magistrates to check the facilities and later they expressed satisfaction.
Mallya fled to the UK in March 2016 to escape his arrest. Since then he has constantly argued that charges against him are “wild, baseless and deliberately fabricated”.
