Mallya extradition clock all set to start ticking

NEW DELHI: Twenty-eight days. That’s the maximum number of days fugitive Indian liquor baron Vijay Mallya can possibly stay in Britain now as his extradition clock to India is expected to be set. On Thursday, he lost his application seeking permission to appeal in the UK Supreme Court on the ground that his case does not involve a point of law of general public importance.

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel is expected to formally certify the court order for Mallya to be extradited to India within 28 days as set out in the Extradition Act, 2003. Both the CBI and the ED have filed an FIR against Mallya in Mumbai. He will be brought to Mumbai once the UK home secretary signs the extradition papers.

The London high court had rejected Mallya’s appeal against extradition, leading him to seek permission to move the Supreme Court against it.However, Mallya can apply to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg to prevent his extradition, claiming he may not receive a fair trial and that he will be detained in conditions that breach Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Mallya could also cite the outbreak of coronavirus in Mumbai’s Arthur Road jail where he is expected to be lodged, to put off his extradition.  Over 200 cases have been reported from the jail so far.