Bombay HC Warns Vijay Mallya Against Posting Court Documents On Social Media

The Bombay High Court has warned businessman Vijay Mallya against posting court documents on social media while proceedings in a money laundering matter being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are pending, a lawyer said on Tuesday.

ED Objects To Affidavit Being Uploaded On X

Advocate Ashish Mehta said the court's direction came after the ED objected to Mallya uploading the probe agency's affidavit on social media platform X before the High Court had considered its contents.

The matter has been posted for hearing on October 13. The High Court also directed the State Bank of India (SBI) to file a fresh affidavit taking into account the disclosures made by the ED.

Mallya Challenges Fugitive Economic Offender Status

The High Court was hearing two petitions filed by Mallya. One challenges his designation as a "Fugitive Economic Offender" under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act (FEOA), while the other challenges the court order formally declaring him a fugitive.

Mallya, who is based in the UK, had told the High Court in February that he was not in a position to specify when he would return to India. He had cited restrictions imposed by courts in England, saying they prevented him from leaving the country.

Court Questions Reliance On UK Orders

Senior advocate Amit Desai, appearing for Mallya, referred to Supreme Court judgments in which writ petitions had been heard even in the absence of petitioners.

Desai submitted that extradition proceedings against Mallya were continuing in the UK and that his client was aware of them but was unable to leave the English jurisdiction because of binding court orders.

The High Court, however, questioned Mallya's intention to appear before it. The bench observed that he appeared to be relying on orders passed by UK courts without clarifying whether those orders had been challenged.

The court indicated that such reliance could not be treated as a blanket justification for his absence.

Centre Asked To Respond To Mallya's Affidavit

The High Court had directed Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to file a response to Mallya's affidavit.

It also asked Desai to submit a detailed affidavit placing on record all statements made during the hearing, enabling the Union of India to respond to them.

The proceedings will next be heard on October 13.