Mumbai, September 22, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Bombay High Court has warned UK-based businessman Vijay Mallya against posting court documents on social media while the money laundering matter being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is still under consideration, a lawyer said on Tuesday.
Advocate Ashish Mehta said the court’s direction followed an objection by the ED after Mallya uploaded the probe agency’s affidavit on X even before the court had considered its contents.
The High Court posted the matter for hearing on October 13 and directed the State Bank of India (SBI) to file a fresh affidavit taking into account the disclosures made by the ED.
The court was hearing two petitions filed by Mallya. One challenges his designation as a “Fugitive Economic Offender” under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act (FEOA), while the other challenges the court order formally declaring him a fugitive.
Earlier in February, Mallya had told the High Court that he was not in a position to specify when he would return to India. He cited restrictions imposed by courts in England that, according to him, prevented him from leaving the country.
Senior advocate Amit Desai, appearing for Mallya, had referred to Supreme Court judgments in which writ petitions were heard in the absence of petitioners. He also submitted that extradition proceedings against Mallya were continuing in the UK and that his client was aware of them but could not leave the English jurisdiction because of binding court orders.
The High Court, however, questioned Mallya’s intent to appear before it and observed that he appeared to be relying on UK court orders without clarifying whether those orders had been challenged.
The Bench indicated that reliance on such orders could not be treated as a blanket justification for Mallya’s absence.
The court had also directed Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to file a response to Mallya’s affidavit. It asked Desai to submit a detailed affidavit placing on record all statements made during the hearing so that the Union government could respond accordingly.
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