Vijay Mallya's resignation from Rajya Sabha rejected

Apparently, his resignation letter doesn't conform to the prescribed procedures and doesn't bear signature in original

Embattled liquor baron Vijay Mallya will face expulsion from the Rajya Sabha after his face saving move to resign from the Upper House was rejected by its Chairman, Vice-President Hamid Ansari, saying the resignation letter did not bear Mallya's signature.

"Mr Mallya has been informed that his resignation letter does not conform to prescribed procedures and the original does not even bear his signature," the Press Trust of India reported on Tuesday evening, quoting the secretary general of Rajya Sabha.

Earlier in the day, the ethics committee of Rajya Sabha recommended that he be expelled.

Mallya, who allegedly moved to the United Kingdom after courts and government authorities turned on the heat to recover unpaid loans, questioned why the media was calling him a defaulter despite his settlement offer to banks.

“Agree Kingfisher [Airlines] owes money to banks. I am neither a borrower or a judgement debtor. Why am I a defaulter in spite of a settlement offer?,” Mallya tweeted early on Tuesday. “In all humility and not in defiance as they report, I would like Indian media to check and verify facts before calling me a defaulter.”

Mallya, in a preemptive move against his expulsion, on Monday sent his resignation letter to Ansari saying he did not want his "name and reputation to be further dragged in the mud."

"And since recent events suggest that I will not get a fair trial or justice, I am hereby resigning as a member of the Rajya Sabha with immediate effect," Mallya wrote.

The Supreme Court, which is hearing a case of loan defaults of around Rs 9,000 crore, has directed Mallya to share details of his and his family members' assets to banks.

"I am absolutely not guilty of any of these preposterous charges of diverting funds out of Kingfisher Airlines or buying properties," Mallya said in a four-hour interview to Financial Times in Mayfair, central London. “By taking my passport or arresting me, they are not getting any money," he said.

"Right now, things are flying at me fast and furious. My passport has been revoked and I don't know what the government will do next," Mallya said.