UK court asks India for Arthur Road jail video where Vijay Mallya will be kept

The court has granted bail to the embattled liquor baron and has fixed September 12 as the next date of hearing.

The Westminster Magistrates court in London on Tuesday has asked India authorities to submit videos of Arthur Road Jail and also extended Vijay Mallya's bail till September 12.

In the court, Mallya's lawyer said Arthur Road jail has no fresh air and natural light. 

Mallya's defence team, headed by barrister Clare Montgomery, has disputed the fraud allegations and also submitted further written material from UK-based prisons expert Dr Alan Mitchell, challenging some of the photographs of Barrack 12 of Mumbai Central Prison on Arthur Road, where Mallya is to be held if he is extradited from the UK.

The judge said that photographs could not explain the jail's conditions entirely and thus a video of the same should be submitted on the next date of hearing.

While asking for the video, the judge said, "Can we shoot it during mid-day? I want to see some natural light, sunlight, whether the windows pick up any natural light." 

Following the hearing, Mallya said, "I have not applied for any clemency plea. I am ready to settle my dues."

Earlier, he categorically stated that he was ready to settle all outstanding dues with the banks. He added that he has offered to sell assets over Rs 14,000 crore. 

Mallya was accompanied by his son Siddharth. "At the end of the day, the courts will decide," Mallya told reporters outside the court earlier. 

 The 62-year-old former Kingfisher Airlines boss, who has been on bail on an extradition warrant since his arrest in April last year, is fighting extradition to India on charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to around Rs 9,000 crores.