The Supreme Court on November 30 said that it will take up a case concerning punishment to be awarded to Vijay Mallya for contempt of court in January 2022 for final disposal.
Mallya, who was found guilty of contempt of court by the apex court, was directed to be personally present before the apex court for a hearing on sentencing. However, Mallya’s personal presence could not be made possible due to the legal proceedings going on in the UK where the fugitive is residing currently.
“We have waited long enough now and the legal process also has to see the light of the day at some point,” Justice UU Lalit, heading the bench hearing this case, said.
While fixing the date for hearing the case next on January 18, the court noted that Mallya was embroiled in extradition proceedings before the UK courts. He has purportedly exhausted all the avenues of appeal in the UK.
As such, Mallya is free to advance his arguments on the issue of sentencing while being in personal presence before the Supreme Court in January. However, should his presence in court be stalled for any reason, his lawyers are free to advance arguments on his behalf, the court said.
The court has also appointed Senior Advocate Joydeep Gupta to assist the court in the case in the role of Amicus Curiae.
The case concerns the 2017 ruling of the Supreme Court where the liquor baron was found to have been guilty of committing contempt of court for flouting court orders and transferring monies to his children.
Mallya sought review of this ruling but the same was dismissed and his conviction for contempt re-affirmed.
The case has been stuck at the stage of sentencing on account of the extradition proceedings. However, with the government informing the court that the extradition case has reached the stage of finality in the UK, the court proceeded to fix a date for disposing of the case, whether Mallya is personally present or not.
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