Mallya served two non-bailable warrants in one day

A Delhi court on Friday issued a fresh non-bailable warrant (NBW), the second one in a day, against beleaguered liquor baron and chairman of grounded Kingfisher Airlines, Vijay Mallya, over refusal to present himself in a 2012 cheque bounce case.

The two non- bailable warrants were issued against Mallya in separate criminal cases by two separate courts in Delhi.

Observing that Mallya neither has any regard for law, nor any intention to return to India, one of the courts also suugested that coercive steps be taken against Mallya straight away as there was "no discernible inclination" on his part to submit to the jurisdiction of the court.

While one court issued arrest warrant against Mallya in a case of allegedly evading summons in a FERA violation case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the other judge issued NBW in a 2012 cheque bounce case lodged by the Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL).

Metropolitan Magistrate Sumeet Anand passed the order with the direction that NBW be executed through ministry of external affairs as the liquor baron is still in London.

The court listed the matter for further hearing on 4 February next year.

The court had, on 6 August, also issued an NBW against Mallya saying that coercive steps were required to ensure his appearance after repeated summons failed to ensure Mallya's appearance in court.

The trial court had summoned Mallya as accused following a complaint by Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), which operates New Delhi's IGI Airport, claiming that a cheque for Rs1 crore issued by Kingfisher Airlines (KFA) on 22 February 2012, bounced as the bank said ''fund insufficient''.

DIAL had filed four cases in June 2012 against Mallya over KFA's cheques totalling Rs7.5 crore not being honoured.

The grounded airline had issued the cheques towards payment for services availed by them at the IGI airport here.

Mallya, chairman of the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines, is facing action after defaulting on over Rs9,000-crore loan from 17 banks.

Mallya left for London in March to avoid arrest and refused to present himself in several cheque bounce cases filed against him.  After repeated failures to appear in courts hearing cases against him, the external affairs ministry revoked his passport.

Mallya has now submitted to the court that he wanted to come back to India but was ''incapacitated'' to travel despite ''best intentions'' as his passport had been revoked.

The Enforcement Directorate had issued summons to the businessman in connection with alleged payment of $200,000 to a British firm for displaying the Kingfisher logo in the Formula One World Championships in London and some European countries in 1996, 1997 and 1998.

It had claimed that the money was allegedly paid without prior approval from RBI in violation of FERA norms.

In its plea against Mallya, ED had also sought issuance of non-bailable warrant against the chairman of the defunct Kingfisher Airlines to secure his presence in the ongoing trial of the case, which is in the final stage.