Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 30

Noting that it can’t wait any further for fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya’s extradition from the UK, the Supreme Court today decided to go ahead with the proceedings to decide the quantum of punishment to be awarded to him for contempt of court.

“We cannot wait anymore now. Proceedings for extradition have attained finality and the respondent no. 3 (Mallya) has exhausted all avenues of appeal in the United Kingdom… The matter (sentencing in contempt case) shall be dealt with finally on January 18, 2022,” a Bench led by Justice UU Lalit said. It appointed senior advocate Jaideep Gupta as amicus curiae to assist it in the case.

Mallya, an accused in a bank loan default case of over Rs 9,000 crore involving his now defunct Kingfisher Airlines, has been in the UK since March 2016. He is on bail on an extradition warrant executed by Scotland Yard in April 2017.