India to press for early extradition of Mallya in meeting with UK official

61-year-old Mallya was arrested by the Scotland Yard last month

India will press for early extradition of fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya from the United Kingdom when the Home Secretaries of both the countries meet in New Delhi on Thursday.

Union home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi will raise the issue of early completion of the extradition process of Mallya, when he will meet his UK counterpart Patsy Wilkinson, the second permanent secretary in the the British Home Office.

The counter-terror cooperation between India and the UK besides a host of other issues will figure in the meeting, official sources said.

Issues related to Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, strengthening of the intelligence sharing mechanism and visa related issues will also be deliberated upon, they said.

The 61-year-old Mallya, who has been living in Britain since last year, was arrested by the Scotland Yard last month on the extradition request of India.

Within hours of his arrest, Mallya, who is accused of cheating and frauds, was released on bail by a London court.

The UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will argue the case on behalf of the Indian authorities.

Mallya, whose now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines allegedly owes more than Rs 9,000 crore to various banks, had fled India on March 2, 2016.

India and the UK have an extradition treaty, signed in 1992, but so far only one extradition has taken place under the arrangement -- Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel, who was sent back to India last October to face trial in connection with his involvement in the post-Godhra riots of 2002.

However, unlike Mallya, he had submitted to the extradition order without legal challenge. India had given a formal extradition request for Mallya as per the extradition treaty between India and the UK through a note verbale, a diplomatic communication, on February 8.