Vijay Mallya's Resignation Rejected, Allowing Parliament To Expel Him

New Delhi: Vijay Mallya, who has refused to return from the UK to face unpaid loans, should be expelled with immediate effect as an MP, the Ethics Committee of the Rajya Sabha has recommended.

The punitive action is exempt from any real bite because Mr Mallya, in a pre-emptive strike, sent his resignation letter on Monday, claiming he is the victim of a media trial, a "lynch mob mentality" and is quitting in "keeping with the highest standards of ethics that any member of Parliament should and ought to emulate".

However, the letter did not have an original signature, said law-makers, which provides the opportunity to expel Mr Mallya despite his resignation.

Mr Mallya's letter was sent to Ethics Committee chair Dr Karan Singh who said the panel unanimously recommends that he be removed "with immediate effect". The decision has to be endorsed by parliament.

Mr Mallya, flamboyant liquor baron, was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2002 and again in 2010, both as an independent, with his current term set to end on June 30.

He has been declared a fugitive by India for ignoring orders to meet with banks and investigators who have charged him with money-laundering.

A group of 18 banks, most of them government-controlled, are owed over a billion dollars by the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines, which was launched by Mr Mallya as a luxury carrier.

Mr Mallya flew to London in March, just as the banks belatedly sprang into action to recover unpaid loans. India has asked the UK to deport him. He has denied any wrongdoing, says his various plans of repayment have been turned down by banks, and refutes charges that he went property-shopping abroad with some of the money loaned to his airline.