Vijay Mallya declared bankrupt by London court
The week brought bad news for the King of Good Times, Vijay Mallya, as the Insolvency and Companies Court of the London High Court declared the former liquor baron of India, fugitive from Indian law, bankrupt. The verdict delivered by Chief Insolvency and Companies Court (ICC) judge Briggs was simple: “There is no evidence he will go back to India to face trial, so I find insufficient evidence he will pay the debt in full in a reasonable period of time. I shall adjudicate Dr Mallya bankrupt.”
Mallya, though, still has the option of seeking permission to appeal from a higher court. He has fought extradition cases, but has lost all. Yet he did not return to India to face trial. What Mallya has to do now is submit all his assets, including credit cards, bank accounts, etc, to a bankruptcy trustee. The trustee will assess the actual value of his assets and liabilities and will decide the assets that can be sold to reply debtors. Bankruptcy means that Mallya’s assets are far less than what has been demanded by his creditors. As per the law, if a person is declared bankrupt, he or she must cooperate with the trustee.
Human rights issues: Russia takes Ukraine to European court
The Russians are going to court. Keeping aside general strong-arm tactics, the country is now concentrating on court cases. Now the Russians are taking Ukraine to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Allegations range from violence during anti-government protests and the downing of flight MH17 in 2014. This will be Russia’s first-ever interstate complaint with the ECHR. The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office, which took over the Justice Ministry in representing Moscow at the ECHR, issued a 10-point list of grievances. They are:
- Deaths in Kiev riots, resulting in the 2014 ouster of Ukraine’s pro-Russia president.
- The deaths of 298 in Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, resulting from Ukraine’s failure to close airspace over the combat zone.
- Water blockade of Crimea after Russia annexed the peninsula in the wake of Ukraine’s 2014 revolution.
- Loss of life during shelling of Russian border areas, as well as attacks on Russian diplomatic missions in Ukraine, plus discrimination against Russian companies and Russian-speaking Ukrainians.
- Suppressing free speech and persecuting dissidents through bans of mass media and internet platforms.
Arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari’s extradition hearing delayed
THE EXTRADITION case of yet another fugitive from India, Sanjay Bhandari, wanted in India over charges of arms dealing, money laundering and tax evasion, will be heard by a London court in February next year. Bhandari is currently sought by India for prosecution for money laundering contrary to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002, with both, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), having filed cases against him. The extradition request was sent by India in 2020.
Bhandari, who was arrested on an extradition warrant back in July 2020, has had his extradition case hearing delayed again. Westminster Magistrates’ Court’s District Judge Michael Snow said that it will take time to assess a “significant number of documents”.
Singapore court sends couple to jail for torturing Indian origin maid
A PUNJABI-ORIGIN maid, who worked for a couple who are permanent residents of Singapore and was assaulted by her employers, has received justice, with her employers sent to jail by a Singapore court. The charge against the couple was of causing hurt to Amandeep Kaur, 27, their domestic help, in 2016. The couple had appealed an earlier conviction, but a Singapore dismissed the appeal.
The two sentenced were Farha Tehseen, 40, who was sentenced to one year and nine months in jail, and her husband Mohammad Tasleem, 42, who got four months in jail. The judgment was delivered by Justice Kannan Ramesh. Tasleem’s jail term started on July 19.
Singapore courts to use simple language
SINGAPORE WILL soon use simple words in court, with usages such as plaintiff, subpoena or in-camera hearings being simplified, so all litigants are able to understand. This will also apply to all statute books. Such foreign and non-English words (many from Latin) will be replaced by words such as claimants, orders to attend court and hearings in private. This has been decided by the country’s parliament, through a new law introduced late in July.
Parliament also proposed to hold court hearings through video links—a situation now prevalent in India, during the pandemic—and even hearings without lawyers present. The last part is off Indian court rules.
The concerned Bill brought in Parliament is called the Courts (Civil and Criminal Justice) Reform Bill and is aimed at keeping the legal system efficient and accessible to everyone.