Mallya makes India the butt of an international joke; will India overcome UK court's 'promptness' jibe?
- India has been too slow in its action and reaction to the case.
- It does not have a foolproof case against the liquor baron.
- Some banks also maintain that there are no evidences against him pertaining to fund diversion.
FollowWe think not! If we recall through the entire timeline of the liquor barons flight from India and the onward case that the country is battling with the UK, there is little or no hope of the baron being extradited to India. The lackadaisical attitude of the Indian authorities right from the start was a bad omen in the first place.
While it will take decades to answer the whys and the hows regarding the case, it can easily be said that Mallya's case is a classical case of banks and investigative agencies acting late in a high profile case and letting the defaulter escape the law.
While we have levied enough blame on the above-mentioned institutes, it needs to be acknowledged that the Modi government's international approach was wrong too. Without building a foolproof case against Mallya, applying for an extradition was a very bad idea in the first place. While the damage is already done, it remains to be seen how much more can India bear to lose. Chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot's jibe on 'Indian promptness' was like egg on the face, already. Forget, the setback that the bilateral relations between the two countries has witnessed because of this case.
India shamed by its own
Mallya's blatant defiance in the face of Indian government's threat of extradition is just a trailer of what India is dealing with. Mallya has not only made his own country a butt of joke in international waters, he has also opened the Pandora's Box containing India's dark administrative secrets.
Slow judiciary and equally slow government proceedings are some of the major drawbacks India needs to address IMMEDIATELY. While doing that it has to step on gas when it comes to clearing the evidences against the tycoon. Various courts in India have already pressed charges against him for bounced cheques, but little has been done to provide concrete proof.
A complicated extradition process
Barring its own loopholes, India has to gear up for the complicated extradition process in the UK. Although it has helped India by allowing it to submit multiple extradition requests, there is little hope that the UK will help any further. There are about 131 extradition cases against various wanted fraudsters and criminals from across the world in United Kingdom. Amid this busy schedule, it is highly unlikely that UK will be convinced by the evidences provided by India in batches. Moreover, India doesn't have a foolproof case against Mallya beyond a few loan default and financial fraud cases.
The case is slipping out of Indian hands
Given the past reputation of India in several other extradition cases, it would be an easy tide for Mallya to fight his own country from International waters. Iqbal Mirchi, Nadeem Saifi and Abu Salem to name a few are yet to be sent back to India. Interestingly, they are forgotten figures in the Indian political circuit.
Much of this could be owed to the warring agencies- the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Invetsigation. While the government’s action of cancelling Mallya’s passport and seeking his deportation from UK was primarily due to pressure from ED, CBI has largely remained silent on the case. Add to it the differed opinion on Mallya's fund diversion in the banking circuit. While SBI has claimed that it is yet to receive Rs 9000 crore from the sinking baron, IDBI has maintained that there is no evidence of the fund diversion to abroad by Mallya.
Most likely, this case too would get the same direction like that of Lalit Modi's extradition case. Like him, there is every possibility that Mallya too will not return to India, dimming all other possibilities a distant goal. Prompt or not, India is most likely to lose this case too.
