Don’t consider any asylum request by Mallya: India to UK
nNEW DELHI: India said on Thursday it has asked the UK not to consider any request for asylum from businessman Vijay Mallya, on bail pending his extradition, as there are no grounds for his persecution in the country.
A week ago, the UK said a “confidential” legal issue was holding up Mallya’s extradition but that it was trying to deal with the matter as quickly as possible. Britain’s stance gave rise to speculation that the 64-year-old, wanted in India to face charges of financial irregularities, could have applied for asylum.
Asked about the possibility of Mallya applying for asylum on humanitarian grounds and a timeline for his extradition, external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava told a weekly news briefing: “After Vijay Mallya’s leave to appeal to the [UK] Supreme Court, that application was rejected, we have been in touch with the UK side for his early extradition.
“And we have also requested the UK side not to consider his asylum, if requested by him, because there appear to be no grounds for his persecution in India.”
Mallya lost his appeal against the 2018 order to extradite him in the UK high court in April.
Last month, the high court also refused Mallya permission to appeal in the UK Supreme Court. He is wanted in India to face charges of financial offences involving ₹9,000 crore borrowed by his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines from several banks.
People familiar with developments, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the UK side had no further comments on Mallya’s case beyond the statement made by the spokesperson of the British high commission on June 4, and this position was in line with long-standing policy.
The British mission’s spokesperson had said that “there is a further legal issue that needs resolving before Mr Mallya’s extradition can be arranged”. The spokesperson had added, “Under United Kingdom law, extradition cannot take place until it is resolved. The issue is confidential and we cannot go into any detail.” The spokesperson had also declined to “estimate how long this issue will take to resolve.”