By IANS
New Delhi : The Supreme Court Monday issued a notice to the Enforcement Directorate on a plea by Rajya Sabha member Vijay Mallaya challenging a criminal proceeding against him that was initiated by the directorate for avoiding its summons.
The notice was issued by Justice Arijit Pasayat and Justice P. Sathasivam on the plea by the liquor baron-turned-Rajya Sabha member who had approached the apex court challenging the Delhi High Court ruling, which had upheld in May the Enforcement Directorate’s action.
Justice S. Ravinder Bhat of the high court had on May 21 dismissed Mallya’s plea to annul criminal proceedings against him, presently pending before trial court in Delhi.
The ED had issued four summons to Mallya between Sep 15 and Dec 20, 1999 at his Bangalore address to interrogate him for his role in a case of Foreign Exchange Regulation Act violation in 1995.
The case against Mallya involved the payment of $1 million by his firm United Breweries to a foreign firm for promotion of the Kingfisher brand of liquor without the mandatory permission of the Reserve Bank of India.
The directorate had subsequently initiated the criminal proceedings against him for “wilful disobedience” of summons after he refused to cooperate with the investigative agency.
Appearing for Mallya, senior counsel Fali S. Nariman contended before the apex court bench that his client had responded to the summons by the directorate on some occasions, while on other occasions he could not respond as he had failed to receive them.