Rajya Sabha chairman accepts Mallya's fresh resignation

Liquor baron Vijay Mallya's tenure in the Rajya Sabha came to an end on Wednesday with Chairman Hamid Ansari accepting his resignation after he sent a fresh letter with his signature, a day after his scanned offer was rejected on procedural grounds.

Announcing the decision in the House, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said a resignation letter of Mallya dated May 3 was received by the Chairman.

"He has accepted his resignation effective from today, May 4," Kurien said.

The decision came on the day the Ethics Committee of Rajya Sabha, headed by Congress leader Karan Singh, recommended the expulsion of Mallya with immediate effect, rejecting his defence on the matter and dismissing his resignation.

The tenure of Mallya's second term was scheduled to end on July 1.

The panel said, "The committee hopes that by taking such stern action, a message would reach the general public that Parliament is committed to taking such steps as are necessary against erring members to uphold the dignity and prestige of this great institution."

Meanwhile, Mallya defended his position of not being personally liable for repayment of the Rs 9,431-crore loan given to the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines saying he had given personal guarantee for the loans "under coercion".

"The fact of the matter is that much prior to the consortium of banks which had advanced loans to Kingfisher Airlines recalling those loans, in or about March 2013, I along with others filed suit... in the Bombay High Court... seeking a declaration that the personal guarantee dated December 21, 2010 executed by me in favour of the consortium of banks was void... on the ground that it was executed by me under coercion," he said in a signed letter to the panel on May 2.

Mallya in a letter to Karan Singh on May 2 said, "In this circumstances it is clear that the so-called liability that the Ethics Committee refers to is heavily contested and denied by me in pending legal proceedings...

The question, therefore, of me reflecting an alleged liability in my declaration of assets and liabilities does not and cannot arise, and I maintain that my declarations are complete and accurate".