[Breaking] SC Asks Explanation From Registry For 3 Years Delay In Listing Vijay Mallya's Review

The Supreme Court has sought explanation from the SC Registry for not listing the review petition filed by Vijay Mallay for three years.

A bench comprising Justices U U Lalit and Ashok Bhushan also sought the names of the officials who had dealt with the file for the last three years.

The explanation has to be submitted within two weeks.

The review was against the order passed on May 9, 2017 convicting Mallya for contempt on a plea by a consortium of creditors led by State Bank of India (SBI) which argued that Mallya had disobeyed court orders by making "vague and unclear disclosure of his assets" by transferring a $40 million payment from Diageo Plc. to his children and by ignoring summonses to appear in court.

The bench noted that though the review was filed within time, it was not listed before the court for three years.

Notably, on Friday another bench of the SC chided a lawyer for making "irresponsible allegations" allegations against the Registry over discrimination in listing of the case.

That was by a bench comprising Justices Arun Mishra, Abdul Nazeer and M R Shah, while hearing a petition filed by lawyer Reepak Bansal who complained that the registry was showing 'preferential treatment' to some in the matter of listing of cases. 

The bench, while reserving orders in the case, observed "don't demoralize the registry which is working day and night".

While holding Mallya guilty of contempt in May 2017, a bench comprising Justices A K Goel (since retired) and U U Lalit had asked the liquor baron to appear before Court on July 10 for hearing on sentence. However, Mallya, who had left India in March 2016, never appeared, stalling the proceedings.

The United Kingdom has acceded to India's request to extradite Mallya. Though he moved the Courts there challenging the extradition order, he could not secure any success.

He was declared a "Fugitive Economic Offender" by the Government of India in January 2019.

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