Court orders Mallya to appear on July 29

Mumbai, June 29  A Mumbai Special Court on Wednesday ordered Vijay Mallya, head of the defunct Kingfisher Airlines, to appear before it on July 29 regarding money laundering cases filed against him.

Special Judge P.R. Bhavake told Mallya, now in Britain, to appear before him at 11 a.m. on July 29.

In the Proclamation Order published in Mumbai newspapers, Judge Bhavake said Mallya had committed an offence punishable under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.

Attempts to serve an arrest warrant on Mallya failed as he "cannot be found" at a care of address of Kingfisher Airlines office in south Mumbai.

The Special Court was satisfied that Mallya had "absconded and is concealing himself to avoid the service of the (arrest) warrant" as per the order.

Earlier this month, the court declared him a proclaimed offender.

Mallya, 60, owes over Rs 9,000 crore to various banks. He left India on a March 2 using a diplomatic passport and is currently in the UK.

The Enforcement Directorate is also seeking to invoke the India-United Kingdom Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) to extradite Mallya.