After UK court’s inspection demand, India assures best prison for Vijay Mallya post-extradition

Hours after a UK court asked India for video of the prison where fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya will be kept, Union Home Ministry on Tuesday said that jails in India were as good as in any other countries in the world and rights of prisoners’ were fully protected in Indian jails.

A Union Home Ministry official informed the media that Mallya would be kept in one of the best prisons in the country – Mumbai’s Arthur Road jail – where 2008 Mumbai terror attack convict Ajmal Kasab was lodged during his trial.

The official said that apart from full security cover as an undertrial prisoner, Mallya will get adequate medical facilities in Arthur road jail that was highly secured as per international standards.

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The remarks of the Home Ministry official came after a London's Westminster Magistrates Court Magistrates Court, hearing India’s extradition case against Mallya, asked Indian authorities to submit a video of the jail where the liquor baron will be kept post-extradition.

"Can we shoot it during mid-day? I want to see some natural light, sunlight, whether the windows pick up any natural light," UK judge Emma Arbouthnot said during the hearing.

Mallya had been opposing his extradition to India, citing mainly the poor conditions of Indian jails and “threat to life”.

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The former boss of now-grounded Kingfisher airlines, 62-year-old Mallya is wanted in India for defaulting loans of state-run banks worth around 9,000 crore.

The Indian government was making all the possible efforts for Mallya's extradition from the UK. He was even arrested in 2017 on an extradition warrant. However, he got the bail soon after his arrest.

(With input from agencies)