Former Kingfisher Airlines promoter Vijay Mallya has again claimed that he is being unfairly treated in India, saying ongoing legal restrictions in the United Kingdom are preventing him from returning to the country.

In a series of posts on X, Mallya questioned why he continues to be described as a fugitive when assets worth ₹14,131.60 crore have been confiscated and restored to the State Bank of India-led consortium.

The recovery figure is not merely Mallya's claim. The Enforcement Directorate's 2025–26 annual report states that assets worth ₹14,131.60 crore linked to Mallya and Kingfisher Airlines were confiscated and subsequently restored to the SBI-led consortium. The ED report also says Mallya was declared a fugitive economic offender on January 5, 2019.

Mallya Uses ‘Cockroach’ Remark to Describe His Frustration

Mallya said he was being subjected to continuing injustice and sarcastically referred to the recent “Cockroach Janta Party” protests while questioning his treatment in India.

He also argued that he should not be called a fugitive simply because he remains in Britain.

His comments come amid renewed attention to his long-running legal battle over his status under India's Fugitive Economic Offenders Act.

Why Mallya Says He Cannot Return to India

Mallya has maintained that he cannot freely leave the UK because of ongoing legal proceedings there.

During proceedings before the Bombay High Court in February, his lawyer told the court that orders passed by English courts prevented Mallya from leaving England and that he could not give a precise date for his return to India. 

The issue became important because Mallya is challenging the validity of the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act as well as proceedings declaring him a fugitive economic offender.

The Bombay High Court, however, had made it clear that it wanted Mallya to submit to its jurisdiction before proceeding with his challenge.

Bombay HC Had Asked Him to Return

In February, the Bombay High Court gave Mallya what it described as a final opportunity to clarify whether he intended to return to India.

The court said his challenge to the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act would not be considered unless he returned and submitted himself to the court's jurisdiction. 

Mallya's legal team subsequently told the court that he could not specify when he would return because of restrictions imposed by courts in England. 

The development highlights the legal tension between Mallya's proceedings in Britain and his cases in India.

What the ED Recovery Figure Means

The ₹14,131.60 crore figure cited by Mallya relates to assets confiscated and subsequently restored to the SBI-led consortium.

According to the ED's annual report, the agency had attached properties belonging to Mallya, Kingfisher Airlines and others worth ₹5,042.66 crore, while additional properties worth ₹1,694.52 crore were treated as court assets. The report says assets worth approximately ₹14,131.60 crore were ultimately restored to the SBI-led consortium.

Mallya has used this recovery to argue that banks have already received substantial value from the assets connected with his case. However, the recovery of assets does not by itself resolve the separate criminal, extradition and fugitive-economic-offender proceedings against him.

Mallya Left India in 2016, Declared Fugitive in 2019

Mallya has been based in the UK since leaving India in March 2016 amid investigations into the financial affairs of Kingfisher Airlines.

He was declared a Fugitive Economic Offender in January 2019 under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act. 

The law provides a framework for confiscating properties of fugitive economic offenders in cases involving certain high-value economic offences, subject to judicial proceedings.

Mallya continues to contest aspects of the legal action against him.

The Larger Legal Battle Continues

Mallya's latest comments are therefore part of a much broader legal dispute that has continued for years.

While he argues that the recovery of ₹14,131.60 crore should change the way his case is viewed, Indian authorities and courts continue to deal separately with his fugitive-economic-offender status and other proceedings.

For now, his return to India remains tied to the legal proceedings in the UK and the conditions imposed by the Bombay High Court in his challenge to the FEO law.