The case of fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya has once again become the centre of drama at Indian courts. Facing multiple cases of fraud and money laundering, Mallya on Wednesday told the Bombay High Court that he cannot say with certainty as to when he will return to India as he is legally barred from leaving the UK.
In a statement submitted through his counsel Amit Desai to the high court, Mallya stated that he cannot say with certainty as to when he will return to India as he does not have an active passport ever since his original passport was revoked by the Indian government.
Mallya’s statement came shortly after Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad presiding over his case had made it clear last week that it would not hear Mallya’s plea against the order declaring him a fugitive economic offender until he returned to India.
Backdrop of Mallya’s petition
Based in the United Kingdom since 2016, Mallya has filed two petitions in the HC — one challenging an order declaring him a fugitive economic offender and the other questioning the constitutional validity of the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act.
When asked by the former liquor baron to clarify whether or not he intended to return to India, Mallya also pointed towards orders from British courts in Wales and UK that prohibit him from leaving the country.
“Mallya is not permitted to leave or attempt to leave England and Wales or apply for or be in possession of any international travel document. In any event, the petitioner is unable to precisely state when he will return to India,” Desai read out the statement in the court.
The 70-year-old liquor baron is accused of defaulting on multiple loan repayments of several thousand crores and facing money laundering charges.
Mallya has resided in the UK since March 2016 and continues to face multiple charges in India related to financial fraud and money laundering involving the defunct Kingfisher Airlines. Despite his absence, Indian banks have reportedly recovered over Rs 14,000 crore from his attached assets as of late 2025.
What does this mean for Mallya’s case?
Representing Mallya at the Bombay high court, the senior counsel for his case submitted before the court that Mallya’s presence was not required in the country for the court to hear his pleas against the fugitive tag and the provisions of the Act.
“If he (Mallya) were to appear in India, then all these proceedings would be rendered irrelevant as the statute says that once the offender appears in the concerned court of law, then all these orders would be set aside,” Desai told the court.
After hearing arguments from Mallya’s counsel, a two-judge bench at Bombay HC directed the Union government to file its reply to Mallya’s statement and posted the matter for further hearing next month.
Mallya was declared a Fugitive Economic Offender in January 2019 by a special court hearing cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The businessman left India in March 2016. Banks in India have recovered more than Rs 14,000 crore from assets linked to him as of late 2025.
Timeline of Vijay Mallya’s extradition
Vijay Mallya was once one of India’s most high-profile businessmen. He led the UB Group and started Kingfisher Airlines, which shut down in 2012 after mounting debt.
Known for his lavish lifestyle and sports investments, his fortunes changed after investigations began into unpaid bank loans worth thousands of crores.Since leaving India in 2016, his extradition and court cases in India and the UK have continued — keeping the question of his return unresolved.