New Delhi: Arthur Road jail in Mumbai will be the home of fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya if he is extradited to India to face the law in connection with alleged loan default to the tune of Rs 9,000 crore.
This will be conveyed to a British court next week by India through the Crown Prosecution Service, which is arguing the extradition case against Mallya on behalf of the Indian government, a home ministry official said.
The Westminster Magistrates' Court in London will be told it is the duty of the State to ensure the security of prisoners and Mallya's apprehension about threat to his life is "misleading".
The court will be told that Indian prisons are as good as those in any other country and that prisoners' rights are fully protected, the official said.
The decision was taken after Mallya's lawyers said the fugitive businessman's life might be in danger if he was extradited to India and that there were alleged incidents of human rights violations in the country's jails.
The Westminster Magistrates' Court will start hearing the extradition proceedings from December 4.
The London court will be told that there will be no threat to Mallya's life if he is lodged in Arthur Road jail, which is highly secure and of international standard.
Adequate medical facilities are available for prisoners at the jail, the government will tell the UK court.
By making such allegations, Mallya is trying to evade extradition to face trial in cases of cheating a consortium of banks by defaulting on loans taken for the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines.
Union home secretary Rajiv Gauba had last week held a long meeting with representatives of various authorities, including the external affairs ministry, the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate, and discussed the responses to be filed in the UK court.
The Centre has already conducted a security assessment at Arthur Road jail so that its findings can be conveyed to the UK court.
If the judge rules in favour of extradition, the UK home secretary will have to order Mallya's extradition within two months. However, the case can go through a series of appeals before arriving at a conclusion. PTI
