'PM Modi Raised with Theresa May British Court's Focus on Indian Jails During Vijay Mallya Hearing'

New Delhi, May 29: Prime Minister Narendra Modi had conveyed his unhappiness to his British counterpart Theresa May over-focus on conditions of Indian prisons during court hearings on extradition of fugitive Vijay Mallya to India, according to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

Modi, during a meeting with May in London last month, told her that it was not proper for courts to ask about the condition of Indian jails as the British themselves had kept Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and other Indian leaders in these prisons, Swaraj said.

"These are the same jails where you (British) had kept Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and other top Indian leaders," Swaraj said at a press conference today when asked about the focus on conditions in Indian jails during the hearing in a British court over Vijay Mallya's extradition to India.

The minister said Modi, during his talks with May on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), also raised the issue of delay by British authorities in sending back Indian fugitives. "He also told her that when our fugitives come here (Britain), it takes time to send them back," Swaraj said.

Mallya's lawyers have been opposing Indian Government's plea for extraditing him, citing poor hygiene and overcrowding in Indian jails. A British court is considering India's requests for extradition of Mallya, who is facing charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to around Rs 9,000 crores.