India revokes Mallya’s passport, mulls deportation

The Indian government has revoked the passport of liquor baron Vijay Mallya and is considering steps for his deportation from the UK. “After having considered replies by Vijay Mallya, MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) revokes his passport under S.10(3)(c) & (h) of Passports Act,” External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said on April 24. Mallya, known for his flamboyant lifestyle, has been in Britain for over a month. He is facing legal proceedings for the alleged default of loans worth over Rs 9,000 crores ( around $1.3 billion) from various banks. On April 22, the MEA had said that the   central government was committed to bringing Mallya back in India to face justice. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had asked that Mr Mallya’s passport be revoked for non-cooperation with investigators. He had failed to present himself before the agency that had summoned him three times. “Mallya has been asked to respond within one week as to why his passport should not be impounded or revoked under section 10(3)(c) of the Passports Act, 1967. If he fails to respond within the stipulated time, it will be assumed that he has no response to offer and the MEA will go ahead with the revocation,” Mr Swarup said. The banks have been demanding that Mr Mallya repay the entire debt that he owes them. However, with him having fled the country, there has been plenty of pressure to bring him back to India.