DRT PO Benakanahalli handling Mallya case to retire tomorrow  

Bengaluru, Aug 30 (PTI) Presiding Officer of Debt RecoveryTribunal, Bengaluru, C R Benakanahalli, who has been hearinghigh-profile Vijay Mallya case, will be retiring tomorrow. "Services of Presiding Officer of Debt Recovery Tribunal,C R Benakanahalli will expire tomorrow and we are holding afarewell party to our distinguished officer," DRT officialstold PTI here. K Srinivasan, who has been appointed as Presiding Officerfor the New DRT Bengaluru, would be in-charge of the tribunaluntil a new appointment is made by the Department of FinancialServices, a central government agency, DRT officials said. Chennai-based Srinivasan is a seasoned advocate with an experience of 25 years of legal practice at various courts in Tamil Nadu including the Madras High Court, the officials said. Srinivasan has a rich experience in fighting legal battlesat DRT and Debt Recovery Appellate Tribunal in Chennai, theysaid. He had assumed charge as the Presiding Officer of the NewDRT, Bengaluru, in February. However, the office is not functioning as the ministry wasyet to complete the setting up process, the officials said. Benakanahalli was appointed to the current post on January19, 2012, prior to which he was a district sessions judge inHyderabad-Karnataka region. Among thousands of cases, Benakanahalli has been hearingthe high-profile Mallya case related to over Rs 6,000 croredues owed by him to a consortium of banks led by the StateBank of India. The hearing of the Mallya case was supposed to have beencompleted in three months after it started in March last. "Obviously, a new appointee, in this case Srinivasan, willtake some time to know the nitty-gritty of Mallya case, whichresults in delay of legal proceedings," a bankers’ counselsaid. However, a DRT official countered by saying "As there hasnever been an extension given to any of the earlier Presiding Officers, the new in-charge Presiding officer would havebegun studying the case to keep himself updated in the caseand understand the nitty-gritty of the high-profile case. Idon’t think there will be any further delay as many wouldthink so." The case has been posted to September 9 for next hearing.PTI BDN RA VSSMJ