BackVijay Mallya case: SC to hear banks’ plea against transfer of $40 million
Justices Adarsh Kumar Goel and U.U. Lalit will hear the matter against Vijay Mallya on 9 March
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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday said that the case against UB Group chairman Vijay Mallya for defaulting on loans owed by his grounded airline Kingfisher to a consortium of banks will be heard by a new set of judges.
“This was done by the order of the Chief Justice," judges A.K. Goel and U.U. Lalit told Mallya’s lawyer C.S. Vaidyanathan when he asked why the case had been moved.
Usually, no reasons are assigned when the Chief Justice passes an order to the registry while listing cases.
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The banks have sought to recover the $40 million payout Mallya received out of a $75 million package from Diageo Plc. following his resignation as chairman of United Spirits Ltd in February 2016.
On Friday, the new judges asked senior advocate Shyam Divan, who appeared on behalf of the banking consortium, to narrate the background of the case.
“Assigning cases to judges is the prerogative of the Chief Justice. It is incorrect for anyone to point fingers," said attorney general Mukul Rohatgi, who has also handled this case earlier.
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