UK court asks India for video of jail where Vijay Mallya will be kept

A Magistrates Court in London, hearing India's case for Vijay Mallya's extradition to face charges of money-laundering and fraud, on Tuesday asked New Delhi for a video of a prison where he will be kept.

"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, hearing Mallya's case, said.

Vijay Mallya, who owns the IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore, is wanted in India for defaulting loans of state-run banks worth around 9,000 crore.

The Government of India is making all the possible efforts for Mallya's extradition from the UK. He was even arrested in 2017 on an extradition warrant. However, he was granted bail within minutes of his arrest. Mallya had been opposing his extradition to India, citing mainly the fear of unfair trial and poor conditions of Indian jails.

Also Read | Vijay Mallya releases letter to PM Modi, says ready to settle all dues

Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Mallya, who is wanted in India for fraud, denied applying for the clemency plea and reiterated his intentions to pay back all his dues to the banks.

“I have not applied for any clemency plea. I am ready to settle my dues,” Mallya said after getting bail by London's Westminster Magistrates Court in the extradition case against him, according to ANI.

In June 2018, an Enforcement Directorate (ED) official had reportedly claimed that the fugitive economic offender wanted to bargain with authorities in a bid to get his seized assets freed.

Also Read | Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill, 2018 passed in Parliament