Public sector Airports Authority of India (AAI), which manages all the civilian Airports in the country, has asked an Andheri Court in Mumbai to declare breweries baron Vijay Mallya, who has been absconding and residing in London for the past few years, as a ‘proclaimed offender’.

In a press release, the AAI has said “We have sought that Kingfisher Airlines chairman Vijay Mallya be declared as a ‘proclaimed offender’ as two cheques issued by him amouting to more than Rs.100 crores had bounced.  We have requested the Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court in Andheri, Mumbai for invoking Section 82 of CPC to declare him as proclaimed offender.”

It further said that Mallya hasn’t yet responded to the Court’s order dated 16th July, 2016 to appear before it in connection with the case relating to the bouncing of cheques. After Mallaya’s continued absence, the court issued a non-bailable arrest warrant (NBW) against Mallya but the same had returned to the Court as the ‘accused’ hadn’t been residing in the address mentioned in the warrant.

AAI has also sought cancellation of permanent exemption to Vijay Mallya from appearing in the Court. It may be recalled that Mallya, who once owned the Royal Challengers, Bangalore in the Indian Premier League cricket tournament, had fled the country after newspaper reports surfaced stating that his Airlines owed more than Rs.9,000 crores to several Banks and more than Rs.250 crores to AAI alone.