The luxurious corporate jet that once flew the king of good times is awaiting its new owner. The corporate jet Airbus 319, attached by the service tax department, will be auctioned by the department on May 12.
The aircraft, once owned by Vijay Mallya, is languishing at Mumbai airport.
The jet, which can carry 25 passengers and 6 crew members, is exclusively designed for exotic and luxurious use, the department said in the auction notice.
The Airbus luxury business jet that served Mallya as his home-cum-office with 6,000 cubic feet of living space in the sky, is one of the most expensive business jets in India valued at $40 million (nearly Rs 266 crore). It has conference halls, meeting rooms and a bedroom with an attached bath. The luxury apartment in the sky is being sold off in lieu of service tax dues pending from April 2011 to March 2012 and from April 2012 to September 2012.
The aircraft is open for inspection between April 2 and May 10, the service tax department said in the global tender.
Last year, Mumbai International Airport Private Ltd (MIAL) had sold off an 11-seater plane to Silent enterprises for Rs 22 lakh which later dismantled the aircraft to sell the scrap.
According to the department's application in the Bombay High Court on March 2, Mallya owes Rs 32.68 crore as service tax collected from tickets sold to passengers of Kingfisher Airlines. This is the admitted liability of the now-defunct airline. The total unpaid dues of the department stand at about Rs 532 crore. The amount allegedly was not deposited with the government treasury, which is a violation of Section 89 (1) (d) of the Finance Act, 1994 the petition had stated.
Though the tax department pressed for Mallya's arrest last year, it was not granted and he was left with a personal recognisance bond of Rs 50 lakh. The department challenged the order in the Bombay High Court. With the plea pending for a year, the department filed a fresh miscellaneous case on March 2 requesting for a personal appearance. The case is scheduled to be heard on March 28.
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