India subject to British sarcasm in court; Vijay Mallya says "keep dreaming" about loan return

Even though the Narendra Modi government prides itself in taking prompt action on issues, the case of Vijay Mallya, whom the government wants to bring back from the UK, seems to be proving otherwise.

In an embarrassment for the government, Chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot at Westminster magistrates' court noted the delay arriving of evidence against Vijay Mallya, the former Kingfisher boss.

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"Are Indians normally very prompt in their responses? They have taken six months so far and we haven't got any further forward in the past 6 weeks," Arbuthnot said.

This was after Aaron Watkins, who is representing India in the Vijay Mallya case, said another three-four weeks were needed to receive evidence from India, the Times of India reported.

The Indian government's delay in sending the evidence against Mallya means that Vijay Mallya will not be extradited anytime soon. Arbuthnot said that the a two-week hearing on the case would be on December 4.

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Arbuthnot also said that if the Indian government did not provide evidence by then, the full hearing could happen next in April 2018. There is however another hearing lined up for July 6 when the court will check if all evidence has been submitted.

Vijay Mallya, meanwhile, told reporters outside the court that he would continue to deny all allegations by the Indian government against him. In fact, he was brazen about the loan default case against him, as he told the media "you can keep dreaming about a billion pounds".

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"I deny all allegations that have been made and I will continue to deny them," he told reporters. "You can keep dreaming about a billion pounds; you cannot prove anything without facts," he added.

Mallya also said that he had enough evidence to prove his case. "I have not eluded any court...I have enough evidence to prove my case," Mallya said.

Scotland Yard had arrested Mallya in April, but he was out on bail a few hours later. His bail has been extended until December 4. Chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot's statements on Tuesday suggest there could be a long delay in extraditing Mallya, but if the Indian side wins the case mallya will be deported within two months of the verdict against him.

But again, the case can go through a series of appeals before arriving at a conclusion.

The Extradition Treaty between India and the UK has so far only seen one extradition. Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel was sent back to India last October to face trial in connection with his involvement in the post-Godhra riots of 2002.