Bengaluru
The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday observed that a petition filed by fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya seeking information regarding outstanding debts related to Kingfisher Airlines and United Breweries Holdings Limited (UBHL) was prima facie not maintainable.
Justice Lalitha Kanneganti noted that Mallya should have approached the Company Court instead, stating, “How is this maintainable before this court? The company petitions are there if you are interested in getting such details.”
Mallya had sought a statement of accounts reflecting recoveries made by banks, claiming that though ₹6,200 crore was due, banks had already recovered ₹14,000 crore from him. Senior Advocate Vikram Huilgol, representing the banks, argued that liquidation proceedings are pending before the Company Court, and any such application must be filed there. He added that the writ resembled an RTI-style request seeking bank disclosures.
Counsel for the official liquidator, Advocate Krutika Raghavan, informed the court that an identical application had already been filed before the Company Court and that a misfeasance petition for ₹17,000 crore was pending against Mallya and other former directors.
The bench told Mallya’s counsel that the plea could not be entertained by the High Court and advised moving the Company Court instead. Despite the argument that Mallya required the information for ongoing insolvency proceedings in the UK, the court reiterated that the motive was irrelevant to maintainability.