Lalit Modi and Vijay Mallya
NEW DELHI: Reacting to a video that surfaced showing fugitives Lalit Modi and Vijay Mallya at a party in London, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday reiterated that India remains firmly committed to bringing back individuals wanted by law to face justice in the country.Also Read | Lalit Modi hosts birthday bash for Vijay Mallya’s 70th birthday“We remain fully committed that people who are fugitive and are wanted by law in India, they return to the country. For this particular return, we are in talks with several governments, and processes are on,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters at a weekly briefing in New Delhi. He added that there were several legal processes involved, but reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring the return of such individuals to India.”As you know, in several of these cases, several layers of legalities are involved. But we remain committed to bring them back to the country so they can face trials before the court here,” Jaiswal said.The MEA’s remarks come days after Lalit Modi shared a video on Instagram from Mallya’s 70th birthday celebrations, in which he referred to himself and his fellow fugitive as the “two biggest fugitives from India.”“Let me do something to break the internet again. Happy birthday my friend #VijayMallya. Love u,” he wrote in the caption.Modi hosted the celebration at his upscale six-bedroom residence in London’s Belgrave Square, among the most expensive neighbourhoods in the UK. Several of Mallya’s associates travelled from India to attend the party.Mallya, who turned 70 on December 18, is the former owner of the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines and previously owned the Bengaluru franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He left India for the UK in 2016 after multiple cases were filed against him over alleged financial irregularities and loan defaults involving thousands of crores of rupees.Modi, a former cricket administrator and the founder of the IPL, left India in 2010 after investigations were launched into alleged financial misconduct and irregularities during the league’s early years.
