Court issues summons to Mallya under new law
Mumbai, June 30: A special court here on Saturday issued summons to absconding liquor baron Vijay Mallya to appear before it on August 27.
The order came following a hearing on a fresh plea filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The ED has sought action against him under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Ordinance in the over Rs 9,000-crore bank fraud case.
Prevention of Money Laundering Act Court Special Judge M.S. Azmi ordered issue of the notice to Mallya after taking cognisance of the recent second ED chargesheet and its application on June 22 seeking to invoke the charges against him under the FEO Ordinance.
This is first time that action has been initiated invoking the new Ordinance promulgated by the government to tackle fugitive bank loan defaulters.
If Mallya -- currently holed up in the United Kingdom -- fails to honour the special court's summons, he could be proclaimed a "Fugitive Economic Offender", and all his properties can be confiscated.
The special court has earlier issued non-bailable arrest warrants in Mallya's name in the two main cases lodged by the ED, but he has denied all charges against him.
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ISRO successfully conducts second integrated air drop test for Gaganyaan mission
New Delhi (PTI): Space agency ISRO has successfully conducted the second integrated air drop test (IADT-02) for the upcoming Gaganyaan mission at the space station in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota.
The system is essential to ensure a safe recovery of the crew module -- the capsule in which astronauts sit during a human flight -- during re-entry and landing.
Union minister Jitendra Singh congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for successfully conducting the test.
"Congratulations #ISRO for the successful accomplishment of Second Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-02) for #Gaganyaan, India's first Human Space flight scheduled next year. The second Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-02) was successfully conducted at Satish Dhawan Space Station Sriharikota," Singh said in a post on X.
The IADT-02 follows the successful completion of the first IADT, which took place on August 24, 2025, at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
Air drop tests recreate the last leg of a spacecraft's return to Earth. An aircraft or helicopter drops the spacecraft from a height to test various systems under different scenarios.
These are the deployment of the parachute system in case the mission is aborted mid-flight, system performance when one parachute fails to open and the spacecraft's orientation and safety during splashdown etc.
In the IADT-02 test, a simulated crew module, weighing about 5.7 tonnes, was lifted by an Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter to an altitude of about three kilometres and released over a designated drop zone in the sea, near the Sriharikota coast.
In a statement, the ISRO said, "Ten parachutes of four types were deployed in a precise sequence during the descent of the crew module, gradually reducing the velocity for safe touchdown. Subsequently, the simulated crew module was successfully recovered in coordination with the Indian Navy."
