A Delhi court on Saturday issued a non-bailable warrant against liquor baron Vijay Mallya in four cheque dishonour cases filed by Delhi International Airport Private Limited (DIAL) in 2012. DIAL operates Indira Gandhi International Airports (IGIA) in the capital.
The grounded Kingfisher Airlines Limited had issued four cheques totalling Rs. 7.5 crore in favour of the DIAL for services at the IGIA. Mr. Mallya was then chairman-cum-managing director of the airline.
Metropolitan magistrate Sumeet Anand issued the warrant and asked Mr. Mallya to appear before the court on November 4. He directed that the warrant be served through the Ministry of External Affairs as he was reported to be in London.
It was inevitable for the state machinery to ensure Mr. Mallya’s presence in the court as he did not appear despite repeated orders, the court said.
In its complaints, the DIAL named Kingfisher Airlines Limited, Sanjay Aggarwal (chief executive officer), A. Raghunathan (chief financial officer), Inder Singh (authorised signatory) and G. Visweswaran (authorized signatory) as accused. The court had taken cognisance of the complaints on June 22, 2012. The complainant later adduced pre-summoning evidence. Thereafter, the court issued summons.