Mumbai: In what seems to be more more trouble for business tycoon Vijay Mallya, an order for his extradition was issued by the Esplanade court on Friday.
The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate issued the order against Mr. Mallya and Kingfisher Airlines CEO Sanjay Aggarwal in a case of service tax evasion of ₹1,000 crore. It also issued non-bailable warrants (NBW) against both of them.
Advocates Ruju Thakker and Advait Sethna, special counsel for the Service Tax Department filed an application for issuance of open-dated NBWs with a letter of request to the competent judicial authorities in the U.K. and U.S.A for extradition of both accused. Both advocates also produced a copy of extradition between India and UK and USA.
After issuance of multiple warrants against him, Mr. Mallya has been declared a proclaimed offender and also an absconder by the Prevention of Money Laundering Act court.
Mr. Mallya owes over ₹100 crore to the department as of now, Mr. Sethna said. India has an extradition treaty with the U.K., where Mallya is believed to be staying, and therefore the court’s order can be executed by the the concerned authorities, the lawyer said.
The Service Tax Department had issued a notice to the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines for dues of ₹ 87.5 crore in 2011-12. The airline collected service tax from passengers but did not deposit it with the department, it said.
