Mallya extradition: India has to reply by November 3

NEW DELHI: India has to reply to the defence evidence before November 3 in the Vijay Mallya extradition case, the hearing for which is scheduled to begin in a UK court on December 4.

MEA spokesperson, Raveesh Kumar, said it has been tentatively decided to hold the extradition hearing in December at the case management review meeting between Indian and UK officials on July 6.

"The extradition request in respect of Vijay Mallya was handed over to UK high commission in New Delhi on February 9, 2017. Mallya was arrested and produced before the Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on April 1 8, 2017 for extradition hearing and granted conditional bail." India had given in some defence evidence to the UK Crown Prosecution Service at the second review meeting on September 14, the MEA spokesperson said.

"Indian authorities need to send reply to the defence evidence before November 3, 2017," he said.

Mallya was re-arrested on October 4 after the UK Crown Prosecution Service, on India's behalf, filed a supplementary affidavit, with additional charges of money laundering against the liquor baron. However, since the bail conditions remained the same, Mallya was out by the end of the day. Kumar said a "pre-trial case review" will be held on November 20, while the extradition hearing will be on December 4. Extradition processes can go on for years. The December hearing will only be the first.