A Delhi court on Saturday cancelled the exemption granted to liquor baron Vijay Mallya from personal appearance in a case involving a Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) violation.
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sumit Dass directed Mr. Mallya to personally appear before the court on September 9.
The exemption from personal appearance to Mr. Mallya was granted in December 2000. The Enforcement Department (ED) had filed a complaint against the businessman for evading a summons issued by it.
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The agency had issued summons to the businessman in connection with alleged payment of $200,000 to the British firm for displaying Kingfisher logo in Formula One World Championships in London and some European countries in 1996, 1997 and 1998.
The agency had claimed that the money was allegedly paid without prior approval from the RBI, violating the FERA norms.
The order came on a plea of the ED, filed through prosecutor N.K. Matta, which had also sought the issuance of a non-bailable warrant against the chairman of the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines to secure his presence in the ongoing trial of the case, which is at its final stage.
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The agency’s plea had said Mr. Mallya was reported to be in the United Kingdom and his presence in the ongoing trial of this case was essential and had sought the court’s direction to him to remain personally present in every hearing.