‘They just lock you up, throw away key’: Vijay Mallya says he's willing to return to India if...

Liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who fled India in 2016 after being accused in a bank loan default case of over ₹9,000 crore, said recently that he's willing to return to India if he is assured of a fair trial.

In a podcast with Raj Shamani, Mallya was asked, " Would you be willing to return to country if you are assured fair time." The fugitive responded, “If I am assured, Absolutely I will. I will think about it seriously.”

He, however, added, "But you should also be aware that there are other people who the government of India is targeting for extradition from the UK back to India, in whose case they have got judgment from the High Court of Appeal that Indian detention conditions are violative of the ECHR [European Convention on Human Rights]."

"I'm sorry, and therefore they can't be sent back," Mallya said.

"The plea was basically the prolonged detention without trial, for which we all know there are numerous examples. They just lock you up and throw away the key. That's not justice," he said.

Mallya said his stay in England is “fully ligitimate”.

When asked what does a fair trial look like to him and what guarantees he needs, Mallya said, "That's something for the lawyers to discuss. But if you would agree with me, the conduct and the track record of the CBI [Central Bureau of Investigation] and the ED [Enforcement Directorate] in respect of other unfortunate people doesn't inspire too much confidence, does it?"

He added, “I also tell you about the fact that in India, sadly, a business failure is compared or is equivalent to a fraud.”

'Call me fugitive'

On the allegations of financial misconduct, Mallya said, “You may call me a fugitive for not going to India post March, but I didn’t run away. I flew on a prescheduled visit. Fair enough, I didn’t return for reasons that I consider are valid… so if you want to call me a fugitive, go ahead. But where is the ‘chor’ (thief) coming from? Where is the ‘chori’ (theft)?”

He asked, “From where is the ‘chor’ [thief] comming from? Where is ‘chori’ [theft]?”

Mallya, who lives in Britain, has been embroiled in a long legal battle with lenders – as well as the Indian authorities – following the 2012 collapse of his defunct Kingfisher Airlines.