Vijay Mallya gets a blow from the Supreme Court, dismisses the petition against declaring him an economic offender

Fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya got a shock from the Supreme Court today. The top court dismissed Mallya's plea challenging the proceedings in a Mumbai court declaring him a fugitive economic offender and confiscating his properties.

The lawyer representing Mallya told the Supreme Court that he was not getting any instructions from the petitioner in the matter, following which the apex court dismissed the stay petition. The counsel for the petitioner said in the court that the petitioner is not giving any direction. In view of this statement, a bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Rajesh Bindal dismissed the petition for non-prosecution.

The apex court had earlier on December 7, 2018, issued notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Mallya's plea to stay the probe agency's plea before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Mumbai. was refused. On 5 January 2019, the special court in Mumbai had declared Mallya a 'fugitive' under the Act. Under the provisions of the Act, once a person is declared a fugitive economic offender, the prosecuting agency has powers to confiscate his property.

Mallya had moved the top court in 2018 challenging the Bombay High Court order that stayed proceedings before a special PMLA court in Mumbai on the ED's plea to declare him a fugitive economic offender under the new law. His petition was rejected. Mallya fled to the United Kingdom in March 2016 and is facing a default case of Rs 9,000 crore.