Mallya applies for "another route" to stay in UK, says Lawyer

Fugitive billionaire Vijay Mallya has applied to UK Home Secretary Priti Patel for "another route" to be able to stay in the UK, the liquor tycoon's barrister representing him in bankruptcy proceedings in the High Court of London confirmed during a remote hearing on Friday. Mallya, whose legal challenge to the Indian government's extradition request was turned down at the Supreme Court level in the UK last year, remains in Britain on bail until Ms Patel signs off on the order for him to be extradited to India to face charges of fraud and money laundering related to the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines.

This had raised widespread speculation that Vijay Mallya had sought asylum in the UK, details of which are neither confirmed nor denied by the Home Office in Britain while an application is pending. "The extradition was upheld but he  is still here because as  there is another route for him to apply to the Secretary of State for status," said Vijay Mallya's barrister Philip Marshall, when specifically asked by Deputy Insolvency and Companies Court Judge Nigel Barnett about the status of the extradition proceedings.

The court on Friday also heard how Vijay Mallya, who submitted written evidence for the hearing, was in a "constrained" position as a close relative had passed away as a result of COVID-19. The remote hearing in the commercial division of the High Court in London was to establish whether the court can sanction substantial sums towards Vijay Mallya's living expenses and legal fees from the sale of a French luxury property Le Grand Jardin last year.The money is held in the UK's Court Funds Office (CFO) as part of bankruptcy proceedings brought by a consortium of Indian banks led by the State Bank of India (SBI) in pursuit of unpaid loans.