UK court to hear Vijay Mallya’s appeal against extradition today

The United Kingdom High Court is expected to today begin hearing embattled Indian liquor baron Vijay Mallya’s appeal against being extradited to India to face fraud and money laundering charges.

The Royal Courts of Justice in London will hear the appeal against a magistrates' court extradition order signed off by former UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid in February last year.

The appeal will now move on to a full hearing this week, listed for three days until Thursday, with a verdict likely soon after or at a later date.
The appeal will now move on to a full hearing this week, listed for three days until Thursday, with a verdict likely soon after or at a later date. Photo courtesy: geograph.org.uk

The 64-year-old former Kingfisher Airlines boss, who remains on bail since his arrest on an extradition warrant in April 2017, had sought permission to appeal to the High Court against the extradition order.

In July last year, a two-member High Court bench comprising Justices George Leggatt and Andrew Popplewell ruled that "arguments can be reasonably made" on some aspects of the prima facie case ruling by Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot in her extradition order of December 2018.

Mallya's counsel Clare Montgomery had questioned the basis on which Judge Arbuthnot had arrived at certain conclusions.

The appeal will now move on to a full hearing this week, listed for three days until Thursday, with a verdict likely soon after or at a later date.