Vijay Mallya says UK travel bar prevents his return to India

Vijay Mallya has said he is legally barred from leaving the United Kingdom, responding to criticism that he has refused to return to India.

In posts on X, Mallya said he has been a permanent resident of the UK since 1992 and described the Indian government’s actions in his case as unjust. He is among 15 people declared Fugitive Economic Offenders under the 2018 law, the government told Parliament in October 2025.

His petition before the Bombay High Court challenges the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act and the proceedings that declared him a fugitive. In February, the court gave him a final opportunity to state whether he intended to return to India, observing that a person avoiding its jurisdiction could not seek equitable relief.

Mallya also referred to an ED affidavit filed in the High Court, saying it recorded recovery of ₹14,131.60 crore in 2021. He argued that banks and the government had recovered more than the debt he cited, and said more than ₹350 crore from attached funds had been released to pay Kingfisher employees.

The Ministry of External Affairs has said the government is pursuing the return of people wanted in India through legal processes with other governments.