All foreigners in UK, Indians included, who do not earn more than 30,000 pounds a year are likely to be deported according to a new policy, but Vijay Mallya will be allowed to stay on even though he is wanted by Indian investigating agencies on charges of money laundering and owes banks a whopping Rs 9,400 crore. Of course the two policies mentioned above are different, but sufficient to drive home the point that the richer you are greater is the protection. And Mallya is not Julian Assange. The Indian government had revoked Mallya’s passport, but London took the stand that revocation of the passport did not affect his status and he could stay on in the UK until his visa expired.
This is a set-back for the Indian government which got off the starting blocks long after Mallya had fled and is now trying to desperately make up for lost time. With UK refusing to deport the dethroned ‘king of good times’ the government will have to take the long and winding extradition road. It looks like this race is lost even before it begins. India had tried to get UK deport Lalit Modi, but it ended in fiasco and it looks like the Mallya episode is not likely to have a different ending, unless there is a compelling reason for the former liquor baron to return.
