NEW DELHI : The Supreme Court has put onus on the Home Ministry to ensure presence of liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya (62) before it on July 10 in the contempt case filed against him by the State Bank of India and 13 other banks for the Rs 9,000-crore loan default of his closed Kingfisher Airlines. Even while holding him guilty of contempt of court for not replying to the contempt petition nor appearing in person as he was duty bound, the Bench of Justices Adarsh Kumar Goel and Uday Umesh Lalit adjourned the matter to July 10 to give Mallya one more chance and also hear him on the proposed punishment.
In its 26-page judgment, the Court also said Mallya “may keep his affidavit ready to be rendered on the same day by stating mitigating circumstances, if any, and other submissions he chooses to advance.” It held him guilty on two counts.
