Vijay Mallya

Businessman, Politician

Indian Kolkata, West Bengal, India

Vijay Mallya informed the Bombay High Court that he cannot specify when he will return to India, as he is legally barred from leaving England and Wales due to UK court orders and lacks a valid passport after its revocation by India in 2016. This response came after the court's December 23, 2025 directive requiring his personal appearance to hear his petition challenging his Fugitive Economic Offender status and the constitutional validity of the 2018 Act. The court directed Mallya to file a formal affidavit and scheduled the next hearing for March 11, 2026, while seeking a response from the Union government.

The Bombay High Court gave Vijay Mallya one final chance to return to India in person to contest his designation as a Fugitive Economic Offender under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018, linked to the Kingfisher Airlines loan default scandal where banks claim £1.15 billion in unpaid loans. The court stated it would not hear his petition challenging the Act's provisions unless he appears, as he has been evading court processes while residing in the UK. Mallya argues that Indian authorities have already recovered more than the owed amount through asset seizures.