Supreme Court judge Justice R.F. Nariman Monday recused himself from hearing a plea of fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya against a Karnataka High Court directing him to pay ₹3,101 crore to a consortium of banks. A Bench of Justices Nariman and S. Ravindra Bhat observed that Mr. Mallya has not deposited a single penny to the banks so far.
Justice Nariman however refused to hear the matter and directed that it be listed before another bench of the apex court.
Senior advocate S Guru Krishna Kumar, appearing for Mallya, said at the outset that other petitions filed by him were coming up for consideration before another bench.
“Let the matter be listed before a Bench of which one of us (Justice RF Nariman) is not a Member,” the bench said in its order.
Mallya challenged Karnataka High Court orders, of October 5, 2018 and September 13, 2019, before the apex court. The orders had upheld the decision of the Debts Recovery Appellate Tribunal (DRAT), Bangalore to deposit Rs 3,101 crore as a precondition to hearing his appeal against a Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) order.
Mallya then challenged the March 28, 2018 order before the High Court, which dismissed his appeal on October 5, 2018 and subsequently he knocked the door of apex court.
