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Vijay Mallya says UK legal restrictions prevent him from leaving the country, while questioning his fugitive tag and the recovery of funds from his assets
Vijay Mallya has hit back at his critics for calling him a “bhagoda”, saying he has been a permanent resident of the United Kingdom since 1992 and is currently “legally prohibited” from leaving the country.
In a post on X, the former Kingfisher Airlines owner accused the Indian government of treating him “grossly” unfairly.
“For all who say I am a bhagoda refusing to come to India, please be aware that I have been a permanent resident of the United Kingdom since 1992 and am currently legally prohibited from leaving this country,” Mallya said.
Mallya left India in 2016 as authorities pursued cases linked to loans taken by Kingfisher Airlines. He was declared a Fugitive Economic Offender under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018.
In October 2025, the government told the Lok Sabha that 15 people had been declared Fugitive Economic Offenders. Mallya and diamantaire Nirav Modi were among those named.
Mallya has also questioned his continued description as a fraudster, citing money recovered from his assets.
In another post on Tuesday, he referred to what he said was an Enforcement Directorate affidavit filed before the Bombay High Court. Mallya claimed the affidavit showed that Rs 14,131.60 crore had been recovered from him in 2021.
More from BusinessMallya had also claimed in August that banks and the government had recovered around Rs 14,100 crore against a judgment debt of Rs 6,203 crore.
He further said the ED had released more than Rs 350 crore from his attached funds to pay former Kingfisher Airlines employees.
These figures and claims are part of Mallya’s arguments over the recovery proceedings and his legal cases.
Mallya has challenged his declaration as a Fugitive Economic Offender and the constitutional validity of the law before the Bombay High Court.
In February, the court criticised him for avoiding proceedings and said he could not seek equitable relief while evading the court’s jurisdiction. It gave him a final opportunity to clarify whether he intended to return to India.
The Indian government has maintained that fugitives wanted by law should return to India and face trial.
In December 2025, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the government remained committed to bringing economic offenders back to India, while acknowledging that extradition involves several legal processes.
