GMR deal: Vijay Mallya faces arrest warrant

HYDERABAD: A metropolitan magistrate court issued a nonbailable warrant against Kingfisher Airlines chairman Vijay Mallya, in a case filed by the operator of Hyderabad’s airport over alleged non-payment of charges and cheating.

GMR Hyderabad International Airport listed non-payment of parking, landing and navigation charges by the airline which is grounded since October 2012. It sought to prosecute Mallya and his senior management for defaulting payments and dishonouring cheques issued towards user charges.

Additional chief metropolitan magistrate GS Ramesh Kumar ordered the police to produce Mallya and others accused in the case before it on April 13. GMR counsel G Ashok Reddy told ET that the court issued warrants against Mallya and his senior colleagues for their failure to appear before the court in the cases filed under the Negotiable Instruments Act.

Mallya and his aides had sought exemption on appearing before court. However, the court turned their pleas down following objections by GMR’s counsel, who cited statements of the attorney general before Supreme Court on Mallya leaving the country. Agreeing with the argument of the GMR’s council that it was not a case that deserves routine adjournment, the court dismissed the pleas of Kingfisher’s top brass.