London: Vijay Mallya, the embattled tycoon wanted in India on loan defaults to several banks amounting to nearly Rs 9,000-crore, Tuesday claimed he has “enough evidence” to plead his case and taunted authorities saying, “you can keep dreaming about a billion pounds”.

“I deny all allegations that have been made and I will continue to deny them,” said the 61-year-old flamboyant boss of the erstwhile Kingfisher airlines, who appeared before Westminster Magistrates Court here for his extradition case hearing.

Chief Magistrate Emma Louise Arbuthnot granted bail to Mallya until December 4. The next hearing has been set for July 6.

“I have not eluded any court…I have enough evidence to prove my case,” Mallya told reporters outside the court.

“I dont make statements to the media because anything I say is twisted. There is enough evidence, that will speak,” said Mallya, who was accompanied to court by his son Siddharth Mallya, a female companion and a small group of supporters.

Mallya was arrested by Scotland Yard in April and has been out on bail, which was further extended until December 4 — also tentatively fixed as the final date of hearing in the case.

Mallya claimed that no loans were diverted anywhere.

“You can keep dreaming about a billion pounds; you cannot prove anything without facts,” Mallya told reporters.

Arbuthnot, who presided over what is referred to as a “case management hearing”, said, “Make sure you do not break any conditions of your bail. If you do so, you will be back in custody.”

Mallyas defence team, which is being led by the firm Joseph Hague Aaronson LLP, said a second extradition request is expected from the Indian government.

In the dock at Court Room 3 of Westminster Magistrates Court, Mallya spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth — 18 December, 1955.

The judge set July 6 as the next hearing date for further case management matters but Mallya was exempted from attending that hearing after his defence team claimed he was “swarmed by media cameras” on his entry to the court today.

“It was literally a battle to get into court,” said Mallyas lawyer barrister Ben Watson.

He urged the judge to put barriers for the media outside the court for future hearings, to which the judge responded by excusing Mallya from the next court appearance while she looks into her authority to impose such barriers.

Britains Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), represented by Aaron Watkins, presented the case in court on behalf of the Indian authorities and pushed for a final hearing date in December.

“We have a good and close working relationship (with the Indian government) in this case,” Watkins told the judge when asked if, “India is quite prompt in their responses”.

Mallyas defence team wanted a final hearing date in March or April 2018, claiming they are yet to receive the “final evidence” from the Indian authorities and also believe a second extradition request is coming.

The second request is believed to be related to the Enforcement Directorates (ED) case against Mallya.

CPS argued that the government of India will deal responsibly with any future extradition request and that a conclusion of the current case by December was preferable.

The judge settled on December 4 as the final hearing date, which will be reviewed at the next hearing in July.

“If all the ducks are in a row by then, we will proceed with December,” the judge said.

“There might be a few more hearings in this case in the coming months to deal with case management or any issues that arise, before the final hearing takes place, at which the full arguments from both sides in this case will be heard by the Judge,” explained Jasvinder Nakhwal, partner at Peters and Peters Solicitors LLP and member of the UKs Extradition Lawyers Association.

The CPS had met a joint team of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials in London last month to thrash out details of the case.

“Our aim is to build a strong, infallible case and these meetings will help resolve issues across the table. The CPS will be arguing based on documents provided by CBI and ED, therefore a joint team is here to address queries they may have,” official sources had said after the meeting held in early May.

A CBI official also flew in from Delhi for todays hearing.

Mallya also slammed the media for its “frenzy”.

“I go to cheer India in a cricket match and it becomes a media frenzy. Its better I dont say anything,” he said, adding that two people, in a drunken state, called him a “thief” outside the stadium. “There were many who wished me well.”

Last week, Mallya was welcomed with chants of “chor, chor” by Indian cricket fans as he arrived to watch the India vs South Africa Champions Trophy match at The Oval cricket ground in London.

Earlier, he had caused a stir by his attendance at the India vs Pakistan match in Birmingham after which he had declared on Twitter that he would be attending all India matches in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy.

Mallya, who is wanted in India for Kingfisher Airlines default on loans worth nearly Rs 9,000-crore, has been in the UK since March 2016 and was arrested by Scotland Yard on an extradition warrant on April 18.

He had attended a central London police station for his arrest and was released on conditional bail a few hours later after providing a bail bond worth 650,000 pounds, assuring the court of abiding by all conditions associated with extradition proceedings, such as the surrender of his passport and a ban on him possessing any travel documents.

An initial case management hearing date of May 17 was postponed to June 13.

If the District Judge rules in favour of extradition at the end of the trial, the UK home secretary must order Mallyas extradition within two months of the appropriate day. However, the case can go through a series of appeals before arriving at a conclusion.

India and the UK have an Extradition Treaty, signed in 1992, but so far only one extradition has taken place under the arrangement — Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel, who was sent back to India last October to face trial in connection with his involvement in the post-Godhra riots of 2002.

However, unlike Mallya, he had submitted to the extradition order without legal challenge.

(PTI)

Bengaluru: Former Karnataka chief minister and state JD(S) president H D Kumaraswamy was today denied anticipatory bail by a special court here in an illegal mining case.

Lokayukta Court judge Gopal rejected the prayer of Kumaraswamy, who has been summoned by the Lokayukta’s special investigation team in connection with the case.

Kumaraswamy, the son of former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, is accused of putting immense pressure on the then Commissioner of Mines, Gangaram Baderiya, to clear afile in favour of Janthakal mining firm in 2007, when he was the chiefminister.

Baderiya, now the principal secretary (revenue), was arrested by the SIT on May 15 for allegedly allowing the firm to illegally lift one million tonnes of mined ore in Chitradurga based on forged documents.

The SIT has summoned Kumaraswamy, following the arrest of Baderiya. Meanwhile, speaking to reporters, Kumaraswamy said he had no role in the case and would come out clean. “I do not have any role in this case… My legal team will bail me out… I will prove myselfinnocent,” the state chief of the Janata Dal (Secular) said.

Earlier, Kumaraswamy had accused the Congress government of targeting him ahead ofthe 2018 Assembly polls.

(Agencies)

London: Embattled Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya, who is wanted in India on loan defaults to several banks, is set to appear today before Westminster Magistrates’ Court here for his extradition case hearing.

The 61-year-old former chief of erstwhile Kingfisher airlines has been out on bail since his arrest in April and will today find out the timetable to be set by the judge to hear the arguments for and against his extradition in what is referred to as a “case management hearing”.

“When the case returns to court, the District Judge is likely to set down a timetable for the service of any evidence to be submitted by either side in the proceedings, and list a date for a final hearing.

“There might be a few more hearings in this case in the coming months to deal with case management or any issues that arise, before the final hearing takes place, at which the full arguments from both sides in this case will be heard by the District Judge,” explained Jasvinder Nakhwal, partner at Peters and Peters Solicitors LLP and member of the UK’s Extradition Lawyers Association.

Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which will be arguing on behalf of the Indian authorities, had met a joint team of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials in London last month to thrash out details of the case.

“Our aim is to build a strong, infallible case and these meetings will help resolve issues across the table. The CPS will be arguing based on documents provided by CBI and ED, therefore a joint team is here to address queries they may have,” official sources had said after the meeting in May.

Last week, Mallya was welcomed with chants of “chor, chor” by Indian cricket fans as he arrived to watch the India vs South Africa Champions Trophy match at The Oval cricket ground in London.

Earlier, he had caused a stir by his attendance of the India vs Pakistan match in Birmingham after which he had declared on Twitter that he would be attending all India matches in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy.

Mallya, who is wanted in India for Kingfisher Airlines’ default on loans worth nearly Rs 9,000 crores, has been in the UK since March 2016 and was arrested by Scotland Yard on an extradition warrant on April 18.

He had attended a central London police station for his arrest and was released on conditional bail a few hours later after providing a bail bond worth 650,000 pounds, assuring the court of abiding by all conditions associated with extradition proceedings, such as the surrender of his passport and a ban on him possessing any travel documents.

An initial case management hearing date of May 17 had been postponed to June 13.

If the District Judge rules in favour of extradition at the end of the trial, the UK home secretary must order Mallya’s extradition within two months of the appropriate day. However, the case can go through a series of appeals before arriving at a conclusion.

India and the UK have an Extradition Treaty, signed in 1992, but so far only one extradition has taken place under the arrangement – Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel, who was sent back to India last October to face trial in connection with his involvement in the post-Godhra riots of 2002.

However, unlike Mallya, he had submitted to the extradition order without legal challenge.

(Agencies)

Neemuch: Quota stir leader Hardik Patel was today arrested in Neemuch district of Madhya Pradesh when he was heading to Mandsaur to meet the kin of the farmers killed in police firing last week.

Patel was arrested from Nayagaon in Neemuch to prevent the commission of cognisable offences, City Superintendent of Police Abhishek Diwan said.

The Patidar Andolan leader was accompanied by Janata Dal (U) leader Akhilesh Katiyar, who was also placed under arrest. The two were, however, released on bail later and transported out of Madhya Pradesh in police vehicles, Diwan said.

Patel was picked up on his way to Mandsaur to express solidarity with distressed farmers and meet the kin of those killed in police firing during the agrarian unrest on the issue of loan waiver and several other demands.

Lashing out on authorities after his arrest, Patel said, “I am not a terrorist. I have not come from Lahore. I am an Indian citizen and have the right to go anywhere in the country.”

He also criticised the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre and said that 50 crore farmers have come together against the saffron party.

The farmers’ protest in Madhya Pradesh, which began on June 1, took a violent turn on June 6, when five of them were killed in police firing at Mandsaur.

Subsequently, the farmers’ protest witnessed bandh and arson as the agitation spread to other districts of western Madhya Pradesh including Neemuch, Dhar, Ratlam and Jhabua.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had launched an indefinite fast in Bhopal on Saturday with an appeal for peace and met farmer leaders.

However, he ended his fast on Sunday saying peace has returned to the state. Before ending the fast, he had assured people that those involved in the deaths of farmers in Mandsaur would be punished severely.

A high-voltage political drama was also witnessed on June 8, when Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi was detained on his way to Mandsaur to meet the family members of the farmers killed in police firing.

(PTI)

New Delhi: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday introduced new batch of banknotes of Rs 500 with inset letter A while old notes of E series will remain valid.

“In continuation of issuing of Rs 500 denomination banknotes in Mahatma Gandhi (new) series from time to time which are currently legal tender, a new batch of banknotes with inset letter “A” in both the number panels, bearing the signature of RBI Governor Urjit R Patel; with the year of printing ‘2017’ on the reverse, are being issued,” RBI said in a statement

The design of these notes is similar in all respects to the Rs 500 banknotes in Mahatma Gandhi (New) Series which were first notified dated November 8.

The earlier 500 denomination banknotes in Mahatma Gandhi (New) Series with inset letter ‘E’ in both the number panels, bearing the signature of Urjit Patel had year of printing ‘2016’ and Swachh Bharat Logo printed on the reverse of the Banknote.

Those 500 banknotes had the following principal features:

– The size is 66mm x150mm

-The colour is stone grey

-Red Fort-an image of Indian heritage site with Indian flag on the reverse

The banknote also had features (intaglio printing of Mahatma Gandhi portrait, Ashoka Pillar emblem, bleed lines, circle with Rs 500 in the right, and the identification mark) which enable the visually impaired person to identify the denomination.

(Agencies)

Kansas City: A man accused in a bar shooting in suburban Kansas City that left one Indian national dead and another wounded was indicted by a federal grand jury on hate crime charges, the US Justice Department announced Friday.

The indictment against Adam Purinton, 52, of Olathe, Kansas, comes after a February 22 shooting at Austin’s Bar and Grill in Olathe, Kansas. Witnesses have said Purinton, who is white, yelled “get out of my country” at two 32-year-old Indian nationals, Srinivas Kuchibhotla and Alok Madasani, before he began shooting. Kuchibhotla died and Madasani was injured. A third man, Ian Grillot, was wounded when he tried to intervene.

The shooting raised fears of more attacks on immigrants following President Donald Trump’s election and his call for a ban on immigrants from some countries. Officials in India also expressed concern about their citizens’ safety in the US, where many work in technology and other industries.

Kuchibhotla and Madasani had come to the US from India to study and worked as engineers at GPS-maker Garmin.

‘I need an answer’: Srinivas Kuchibhotla’s wife holds press conference | Full transcript

An affidavit released in March said Madasani told detectives that the gunman asked if their “status was legal” before he opened fire.

The indictment announced Friday alleges Purinton shot the two Indian men because of their “actual and perceived” race, colour, religion and national origin. The indictment also alleges Purinton committed the crimes after premeditation and planning, attempted to kill more than one person and created a grave risk of death to others at the scene. The indictment also accuses Purinton of violating federal firearms laws.

After the shooting, Purinton drove 70 miles east to an Applebee’s restaurant in Clinton, Missouri, where he allegedly admitted the shootings to a bartender, who called police.

The Justice Department said in a news release Friday that it would determine later whether Purinton should face the death penalty.

Purinton was a Navy veteran who was a regular customer at Austin’s. Neighbours in the quiet Olathe cul-de-sac where he lived told The Associated Press that Purinton had become “a drunken mess” after his father’s death about two years ago and had physically and mentally deteriorated before the shooting.

Olathe Mayor Michael Copeland said in a statement that the hate crime charge was appropriate.

“The intent of this one act was to spread hate. It failed miserably,” Copeland said. “It has spread love, and it has brought this community even closer together.”

Police Chief Steve Menke said he hoped the charges would bring some comfort to Kuchibhotla’ loved ones and friends and to the survivors of the shooting.

Purinton is jailed in Johnson County, Kansas, on $2 million bond on murder and attempted murder charges.

His public defender, Michael McCulloch, did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Grillot, who was hospitalised for 10 days after the shooting, was honored by Indian dignitaries for his efforts to stop the shooting. Three officials from the Consulate General of India in Houston traveled to Kansas City to meet Grillot in the days after the shooting. Consul General Anupam Ray told Grillot that his bravery was more representative of America than the violence at Austins, the hospital said.

In March, Grillot received a $100,000 check at a gala in Houston from The India House and three donors, with the money to be used toward buying a house.

A message left Friday with the Consul General’s office was not immediately returned. A message to the Indian Embassy in Washington DC also was not immediately returned.

(Agencies)