Vijay Vittal Mallya, popularly known as Vijay Mallya, is an Indian businessman and an ex-Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha). He was born in Kolkata, on 18 December 1955. He can be commonly recalled as the former owner of the IPL cricket team of Royal Challengers Bangalore and the former owner of Kingfisher Airlines.
Furthermore, he is also the ex-chairman of the biggest spirits manufacturing company in India, United Spirits. Mallya still retains his post as the chairman of United Breweries Group.
He is also the face of one of the biggest financial scandals in India and is a subject of extradition efforts by the Indian Government. Let’s understand the complete story of Vijay Mallya.
Vijay Vittal Mallya (born 18 December 1955) is an Indian fugitive, former businessman,and politician. He is the subject of an extradition effort by the Indian Government to return him from the UK to face charges of financial crimes in India. His last formal appeal against extradition was rejected in 2020, but as of April 2025 the order had not been enforced; the judge in a case rejecting his appeal against bankruptcy said “apparently Dr Mallya is still resisting extradition on other bases which have yet to be resolved
Vijay Mallya Personal Life#
Vijay Mallya is the son of Vittal Mallya from Bantwal, Mangalore, Karnataka. Born into the Konkani speaking family of Vittal Mallya and Lalitha Ramaiah. Vittal Mallya was the Chairman of United Breweries Group. Vijay Mallya was educated at La Martinière Calcutta, where he was appointed House Captain of Hastings house in his final year, and at St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree (with honours) in 1976. While in college, Mallya interned in his family’s businesses. After graduating, he interned at the American part of Hoechst AG in the United States.
In 1986, he met and married Samira Tyabjee, an air hostess of Air India. They have one son, Siddharth Mallya, who was born on 7 May 1987. They were divorced shortly afterwards, although Mallya has stated in interviews that he has a “great relationship” with his first wife. In June 1993, Mallya married his current wife Rekha, whom he had known since childhood, and together they have two daughters, Leanna and Tanya. Rekha was previously married twice, and also has a daughter and son, Leila and Kabir, from a previous marriage. Mallya adopted Rekha’s daughter Leila. He is reported to be preparing to marry for the third time, to former Kingfisher Airlines air-hostess Pinky Lalwani.
Vijay Mallya Political Career#
Previously a member of the Akhila Bharata Janata Dal, Mallya joined the Subramanian Swamy-led Janata Party in 2003 and was its National Working President until 2010. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha as independent member twice from his home state of Karnataka, first in 2002 with the support of the Janata Dal (Secular) and Indian National Congress and then in 2010 with the support of the Janata Dal (Secular) and BJP.
On 2 May 2016, Mallya resigned from his post as a Rajya Sabha MP, a week after the Rajya Sabha ethics panel declared that he should no longer be a member of the House and one day before the panel was set to meet again to recommend his expulsion. He had left India during this time, and his passport had been revoked. In his resignation letter, Mallya said he was “shocked that the Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, Government of India has provided factually wrong information to a Parliament Committee” and that he was resigning because he had concluded that he would “not get a fair trial or justice”.
vijay mallya net worth#
As of now, Vijay Mallya’s estimated net worth is ₹10,000 crore (approximately $1.2 billion). This figure reflects a rebound from previous financial troubles, as his net worth was significantly lower in earlier years.
vijay mallya business list#
Vijay Mallya is associated with several businesses, including:
United Breweries Group: Chairman of this conglomerate with interests in beverage alcohol, aviation, real estate, and fertilizers.
Kingfisher Airlines: Formerly owned by Mallya, it was a major airline in India.
United Spirits: Ex-chairman of the largest spirits company in India.
Real Estate and Biotechnology: Involved in various companies in these sectors
34 Companies: Overall, he has been associated with 34 companies.
vijay mallya house In India#
Built on top of the Kingfisher Towers in UB City, Bengaluru, India, the home covers 40,000 square feet, and shares nothing with the rest of the apartments in the building below.
Irfan Razack, the chairman of Prestige Estates Projects, which is part of a joint development agreement to construct the tower, said of the project: “It was a challenge to construct the mansion on a huge cantilever at that height, but we have ensured we build it exactly the way it was conceived. It’s a complex structure and the finishing work is going on.
The mansion has a value of approximately $20 million, but after spending so much money to make his extravagant home dreams come true, there’s a chance Mallya might never actually get to live in it.
In March 2016, Mallya fled India to move to the UK as he defaulted on debts of more than $1bn (£842m), and faced charges including fraud.
India has made efforts to extradite Mallya, who made his fortune selling beer under the Kingfisher brand. He later branched out into aviation and Formula 1 racing.
Earlier this year, British Security Minister Tom Tugendhat was asked about the extradition of Mallya and responded to say the UK does not intend to become a place where people can evade justice.
Vijay Mallya Latest News#
Vijay Mallya lost an appeal against bankruptcy in April 2025 in London’s High Court. The court had earlier declared him bankrupt because he owes more than 1 billion pounds (about $1.28 billion) to banks, including the State Bank of India.
Mallya, who now lives in the UK, has been fighting a long legal battle with the banks and the Indian government since his airline, Kingfisher Airlines, shut down in 2012.
Vijay Mallya Family#
Vijay Mallya was born to an affluent business family as a son of the former chairman of the United Breweries Group, Vittal Mallya and Lalitha Ramaiah. Soon after his father’s death, Mallya succeeded his father to become the chairman of the United Breweries Group at the early age of 28.
Vijay Mallya, now 69, married Sameera Sharma, an air hostess of Air India, in 1986, and their first son, Siddharth Mallya was born on May 7, 1987. However, his first marriage didn’t last long, and soon after they were divorced, Mallya married Rekha Mallya, who is his present wife, in June 1993. He adopted Rekha’s daughter, Leila during the time of his marriage and also has two daughters from his present wife, Leanne, and Tanya.
IS Vijay Mallya Will return to India ever again#
During the interview, Raj Shamani asked Vijay Mallya whether he would ever return to India. To this, Vijay gave one condition and mentioned that he could come to India only if he had an assurance of a fair trial and dignified existence here, and right now, he doesn’t have both. Mallya further added that there are few people who are being targeted by the Indian Government for extradition from the UK back to India, but the UK high court appealed that the Indian detention condition is violative of the European Convention Of Human Rights, and thus, they can’t be sent back. In Vijay Mallya’s words:
“If I have assurance of a fair trial and a dignified existence in India, you may be right, but I don’t. But, you should also be aware that there are other people who the government of India is targeting for extradition from the UK back to India in whose case, they have got a judgment from the high court of appeal that Indian detention conditions are violative of article 3 of the ECHR and therefore they can’t be sent back.”