India ‘fully committed’ to bring back fugitives days after Vijay Mallya’s birthday video surfaces

India remains “fully committed” to ensuring that fugitives and individuals “wanted by law” return to the country to face trial, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Friday during a press briefing.

Jaiswal said India is in discussions with several countries to bring back such individuals and that “processes are underway,” though he acknowledged that extradition cases involve “multiple layers of legalities.”

“We remain fully committed to ensuring that people who are fugitives and wanted by law in India return to the country. For this, we are in talks with several governments and processes are on,” he said.

“There are several layers of legalities involved, but our commitment to bringing them back so they can face trial before Indian courts remains firm,” he added.

The statement comes a day after Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh called for the swift return of businessman and liquor baron Vijay Mallya.

“Action will be taken. Such people flee the country out of fear,” Singh said, adding that even terrorists can now be extradited, referring to Tahawwur Rana, a key accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. “No one would have imagined that even terrorists could be extradited, but one of them was brought back,” he said.

On Tuesday, the Bombay High Court warned Vijay Mallya to return to India, stating that it would not hear his plea challenging the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act unless he appeared before the court.

The issue resurfaced after a video surfaced showing Mallya celebrating his 70th birthday in London with another fugitive, Lalit Modi. The video, shared by Lalit Modi on Monday, showed the two appearing to mock their status as fugitives.

“We are the two fugitives, the biggest fugitives of India,” Lalit Modi is heard saying in the video.