SC reserves order on punishment in contempt case against Vijay Mallya

New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its order on punishment in a contempt case against fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya who was found guilty in a contempt case for withholding information from the court.
A bench of Justices UU Lalit, Ravindra S Bhat and PS Narasimha also granted the last opportunity to Mallya’s lawyer to file written submissions in the case by Tuesday.
The apex court noted that Mallya behaves like “a free person” in the United Kingdom and no information was forthcoming about the proceedings concerning Mallya there.
“We said there are proceedings in the UK. It’s like a dead wall, something is pending we don’t know, what is the number we don’t know. How long can we go on so far as our jurisdictional power is concerned… The man isn’t in anyone’s custody. He is a free person. The only reason perhaps, is there is a proceeding that is pending, which will decide if the person is to be extradited. He is aware of the contempt and review order as pending here,” said the bench during the hearing.
Also Read Stalin seeks immediate action against those disturbing communal harmony Amicus curiae, senior advocate Jaideep Gupta, assisting the bench in the case submitted that Mallya was held guilty on two counts – for not disclosing assets and violating expressive orders of restraint passed by the Karnataka High Court.
Advocate Ankur Saigal appearing on behalf of Mallya submitted that he has no instructions though he has communicated the court’s orders to the contemnor.