Mallya left India for London on March 2, SC told

R Sedhuraman

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Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, March 9

A consortium of 17 nationalised banks today informed the Supreme Court that liquor baron Vijay Mallya left the country on March 2 immediately after they had moved the Debt Recovery Tribunal for attachment of $40 million he was to receive from Diageo that had bought his stakes in a company.

Appearing for the banks, which had initially sought an SC order directing him not to leave India, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi informed a Bench comprising Justices Kurian Joseph and Rohinton Nariman that according to the CBI, Mallya was in London. The AG said he had got the information only today.

Now that Mallya, who had taken loans totalling Rs9,000 crore from the 17 banks, was no longer in the country, the AG said his clients wanted the Bench to direct the defaulter to appear in the SC, surrender his passport and give a credible plan for repaying his loans.

The Bench, however, said it would first issue a notice to Mallya seeking his response to the banks’ plea within two weeks. In the unprecedented order, the Bench directed that its notice should be served on Mallya in several ways — through his advocate, his company and email address.