Topic Of The Day:-“Homeward Bound?: On Extradition Of Vijay Mallya”
By Fleeing India, Vijay Mallya Has Only Helped Establish The Charges Against Him
The judicial order in the United Kingdom allowing the extradition of businessman Vijay Mallya marks a rare victory for India in getting back a fugitive from the law from another jurisdiction. Coming shortly after the United Arab Emirates handed over Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in the AgustaWestland helicopter deal, progress in the Mallya extradition case is another victory for the Central Bureau of Investigation, which is in the throes of a raging controversy over a power tussle involving its two top officers. It must be a matter of satisfaction to the Government of India that the controversy did not affect the outcome of the extradition proceedings before the Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London. Mr. Mallya’s lawyers raised doubts about the CBI’s independence, its alleged susceptibility to political interference, theperception that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the Opposition Congress were using his case to score political points, the possible pressure on Indian courts due to adverse media coverage and, lastly, the conditions in Indian prisons as overcrowded and with appalling facilities for its inmates. Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot rejected these issues. On preliminary evidence, in an order that analyses documents and the sequence of events relating to borrowings made by Kingfisher Airlines from IDBI Bank, she concluded that there is a prima facie case against Mr. Mallya as well as some bank officials. The industrialist does have an opportunity to go on appeal before higher courts. But the categorical finding that there appears to be anintention to defraud, and that the end-use of the borrowed money did not match the stated purpose for which the loans were taken, may make it a little harder for him to obtain relief.It is clear that fleeing India in March 2016 while a consortium of lenders to the defunct airline was seeking to recover about ₹9,000 crore from the company has not helped Mr. Mallya’s cause, beyond buying him time. He has failed to portray himself as a victim of the political system and the media back home. And theverdict, by which his case has been sent to the U.K. Home Secretary for a formal decision on his extradition, reinforces the widely held perception that his company’s financial predicament is due less to the problems that beset the aviation sector at the relevant time and possible poor management, than to hisprofligate ways and flamboyant lifestyle. In particular, the extradition court accepted evidence that showed that “the offence may have begun with the obtaining of the loans, but continued with the disbursement of the loan proceedings and his subsequent avoidance of his liabilities”. With the court also having spoken of a prima facie case of money-laundering being established, Mr. Mallya’s attempt to play victim has failed. It is only appropriate that he be brought back to India at the earliest and made to submit himself to the legal process.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
1) tactics
Meaning : an action or strategy carefully planned to achieve a specific end(n).
Synonyms : technique
Example : “the minority attempted to control the Council by a delaying tactic”
2) extradition
Meaning : the action of extraditing a person accused or convicted of a crime.(n)
Synonyms : refoulement
Example : “they fought to prevent his extradition to the US”
3) fugitive
Meaning : a person who has escaped from captivity or is in hiding.
Synonyms : elusive
Antonyms : enduring
Example : “fugitives from justice”
4) throes
Meaning : intense or violent pain and struggle, especially accompanying birth, death, or great change.
Synonyms : agony
Antonyms : comfort
Example : “he convulsed in his death throes“
5) controversy
Meaning : prolonged public disagreement or heated discussion.
Synonyms : bickering
Antonyms : harmony
Example : “the design of the building has caused controversy”
6) tussle
Meaning : a vigorous struggle or scuffle, typically in order to obtain or achieve something.
Synonyms : brawl
Antonyms : agreement
Example : “there was a tussle for the ball”
7) susceptibility
Meaning : the state or fact of being likely or liable to be influenced or harmed by a particular thing.
Synonyms : awareness
Antonyms : insensitivity
Example : “lack of exercise increases susceptibility to disease”
8) perception
Meaning : the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses.
Synonyms : approach
Antonyms : concrete
Example : “the normal limits to human perception”
9) appalling
Meaning : causing shock or dismay; horrific.
Synonyms : alarming
Antonyms : beautiful
Example : “the cat suffered appalling injuries during the attack”
10) inmates
Meaning : a person living in an institution such as a prison or hospital.
Synonyms : convict
Example : “inmates of the Louisiana State Penitentiary”
11) appeal
Meaning : make a serious, urgent, or heartfelt request.(v)
Synonyms : claim
Antonyms : answer
Example : “police are appealing for information about the incident”
12) intention
Meaning : a thing intended; an aim or plan.
Synonyms : hope
Antonyms : discouragement
Example : “she was full of good intentions”
13) fleeing
Meaning : run away from a place or situation of danger.
Synonyms : depart
Antonyms : arrive
Example : “to escape the fighting, his family fled from their village”
14) consortium
Meaning : the right of association and companionship with one’s husband or wife.
Synonyms : conference
Antonyms : separation
Example : “the amount awarded for loss of consortium must be included”
15) defunct
Meaning : no longer existing or functioning.
Synonyms : obsolete
Antonyms : alive
Example : “the now defunct Somerset & Dorset railway line”
16) portray
Meaning : depict (someone or something) in a work of art or literature.
Synonyms : depict
Antonyms : confuse
Example : “the ineffectual Oxbridge dons portrayed by Evelyn Waugh”
17) victim
Meaning : a person harmed, injured, or killed as a result of a crime, accident, or other event or action.
Synonyms : casualty
Antonyms : criminal
Example : “victims of domestic violence”
18) verdict
Meaning : a decision on an issue of fact in a civil or criminal case or an inquest.
Synonyms : award
Antonyms : accusation
Example : “the jury returned a verdict of not guilty”
19) reinforces
Meaning : strengthen or support (an object or substance), especially with additional material.
Synonyms : bolster
Antonyms : diminish
Example : “the helmet has been reinforced with a double layer of cork”
19) predicament
Meaning : a difficult, unpleasant, or embarrassing situation.
Synonyms : deadlock
Antonyms : advantage
Example : “the club’s financial predicament”
20) beset
Meaning : (of a problem or difficulty) trouble (someone or something) persistently.
Synonyms : embarrass
Antonyms : explain
Example : “the social problems that beset the UK”
21) aviation
Meaning : the flying or operating of aircraft.
Synonyms : navigation
Example : “the aviation industry”
22) profligate
Meaning : recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources.
Synonyms : promiscuous
Antonyms : moral
Example : “profligate consumers of energy”
23) disbursement
Meaning : the payment of money from a fund.
Synonyms : spending
Antonyms : deposit
Example : “they established a committee to supervise the disbursement of aid”
24) subsequent
Meaning : coming after something in time; following.(adj)
Synonyms : consecutive
Antonyms : preceding
Example : “the theory was developed subsequent to the earthquake of 1906″
25) disbursement
Meaning : the payment of money from a fund.
Synonyms : expenditure
Antonyms : deposit
Example : “they established a committee to supervise the disbursement of aid”
26) laundering
Meaning : wash and iron (clothes or linen).
Synonyms : rinse
Antonyms : dirty
Example : “he wasn’t used to laundering his own bed linen”
27) Liabilities
Meaning : the state of being legally responsible for something.
Synonyms : obligation
Antonyms : asset
Example : “once you contact the card protection scheme your liability for any loss ends”
