liquor baron and Rajya Sabha member Vijay Mallya, facing money laundering and loans default cases besides a non-bailable warrant, is set to be expelled from the Upper House. The Ethics Committee of the Rajya Sabha, examining the matter related to Mallya’s alleged loan default of over Rs9,400 crore, on Monday, unanimously favoured the expulsion of the evasive liquor baron.
However, as part of the procedure, the Committee, headed by veteran Congress leader Karan Singh, issued a show-cause notice to Mallya giving him a week to explain his conduct and asking him why his membership from the Rajya Sabha should not be terminated.
“We have examined the entire issue related to Mallya’s case. The documents that we had sought from banks have also come. There was a unanimous view in the panel that he should be expelled from the House membership. But still we have decided to give him a week time to tell us whatever he has to say. The next meeting of the committee has been fixed on May 3, when we will take a final decision,” Singh said after the meeting.
The committee had sought details of the liabilities on Mallya’s airline Kingfisher from 13 banks, which furnished their replies according to which the total liability on Mallya’s company is Rs 9,431.65 crore. Of this IDBI’s liability alone is Rs 1,687.04 crores followed by the Rs 1,223 crore by Punjab National Bank. The Ethics Committee decided to crack the whip on the ground that Mallya never declared these liabilities in the last 10 years, which a member is supposed to do annually.
The Ethics Panel took up Mallya’s issue after Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari referred notices by Opposition members to it last month. The panel started the procedure on March 14. The 10-member committee headed by Singh comprises Satish Chandra Misra (BSP), Avinash Rai Khanna (BJP), Sharad Yadav (JDU), Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M), Mukul Roy (Trinamool Congress), Neeraj Shekhar (Samajwadi Party), A Navaneethakrishnan (AIADMK) and Devender Goud T (TDP).
Moving towards getting him deported, the Government had revoked the passport of Mallya, who is in the UK since leaving India on March 2. Government sources said deportation and extradition are the two measures likely to be adopted against him in case Mallya does not return India on his own.
Indicating the mood of panel, Sharad Yadav of Janata Dal (United) said Mallya will be expelled soon while CPI(M)’s Sitaram Yechury felt the committee believed in view of the latest developments Mallya had no right to remain a member of the Rajya Sabha.