‘All accused will face trial’: MEA slams Lalit Modi-Vijay Mallya ‘fugitives’ taunt
The response follows widespread outrage in India after a video posted by Indian Premier League (IPL) founder Lalit Modi showed him and embattled liquor baron Vijay Mallya attending Mallya’s 70th birthday celebration in London.
- Dec 26, 2025,
- Updated Dec 26, 2025 9:03 PM IST
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on December 26 responded sharply to a controversial video from London featuring fugitive businessmen Lalit Modi and Vijay Mallya, asserting that India remains committed to bringing back anyone wanted by law to face trial.
MEA Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, reacting to media queries, said that individuals accused of crimes will be pursued through legal and diplomatic channels. “Anyone who is wanted by the law will be brought back to the country so that they can face trial,” he said.
The response follows widespread outrage in India after a video posted by Indian Premier League (IPL) founder Lalit Modi showed him and embattled liquor baron Vijay Mallya attending Mallya’s 70th birthday celebration in London. In the clip, Lalit Modi is heard mocking Indian authorities by referring to himself and Mallya as the “two biggest fugitives of India.”
“We are the two fugitives, the biggest fugitives of India,” Lalit Modi says in the video, which he shared on social media. The post carried a provocative caption aimed at Indian media, further fuelling criticism back home.
The video, dated December 23, is the latest in a series of posts showing birthday celebrations for Mallya, who turned 70 on December 18. He is seen smiling alongside his partner Pinky Lalwani at the London gathering. Some of the celebrations reportedly took place at Lalit Modi’s residence in Belgrave Square in central London.
Vijay Mallya left India on March 2, 2016, shortly after the collapse of Kingfisher Airlines amid mounting financial and legal troubles. He is wanted in connection with a bank loan default case involving more than ₹9,000 crore and was declared a Fugitive Economic Offender in January 2019. Multiple agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), continue to probe cases linked to him and his companies.
Lalit Modi, meanwhile, left India in 2010 after allegations of money laundering and tax evasion surfaced during his tenure as the IPL’s founding commissioner. The Enforcement Directorate later registered a money laundering case against him, and a Mumbai court issued a non-bailable arrest warrant in 2015.
The London video has once again brought renewed attention to long-running extradition efforts and the challenges faced by Indian authorities in bringing high-profile economic offenders back to the country.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on December 26 responded sharply to a controversial video from London featuring fugitive businessmen Lalit Modi and Vijay Mallya, asserting that India remains committed to bringing back anyone wanted by law to face trial.
MEA Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, reacting to media queries, said that individuals accused of crimes will be pursued through legal and diplomatic channels. “Anyone who is wanted by the law will be brought back to the country so that they can face trial,” he said.
The response follows widespread outrage in India after a video posted by Indian Premier League (IPL) founder Lalit Modi showed him and embattled liquor baron Vijay Mallya attending Mallya’s 70th birthday celebration in London. In the clip, Lalit Modi is heard mocking Indian authorities by referring to himself and Mallya as the “two biggest fugitives of India.”
“We are the two fugitives, the biggest fugitives of India,” Lalit Modi says in the video, which he shared on social media. The post carried a provocative caption aimed at Indian media, further fuelling criticism back home.
The video, dated December 23, is the latest in a series of posts showing birthday celebrations for Mallya, who turned 70 on December 18. He is seen smiling alongside his partner Pinky Lalwani at the London gathering. Some of the celebrations reportedly took place at Lalit Modi’s residence in Belgrave Square in central London.
Vijay Mallya left India on March 2, 2016, shortly after the collapse of Kingfisher Airlines amid mounting financial and legal troubles. He is wanted in connection with a bank loan default case involving more than ₹9,000 crore and was declared a Fugitive Economic Offender in January 2019. Multiple agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), continue to probe cases linked to him and his companies.
Lalit Modi, meanwhile, left India in 2010 after allegations of money laundering and tax evasion surfaced during his tenure as the IPL’s founding commissioner. The Enforcement Directorate later registered a money laundering case against him, and a Mumbai court issued a non-bailable arrest warrant in 2015.
The London video has once again brought renewed attention to long-running extradition efforts and the challenges faced by Indian authorities in bringing high-profile economic offenders back to the country.