Bangalore, Feb. 7: The Karnataka high court today ordered the winding up of United Breweries Holdings Limited (UBHL) to clear the dues of a US-based aero engine company that had supplied engines to defunct Kingfisher Airlines promoted by Vijay Mallya.

Justice Vineet Kothari today allowed the petition filed by International Aero Engines (IAE) AG, Connecticut, and ordered the liquidation of UBHL.

The official liquidator has been asked to start the proceedings within four weeks.

"This court has come to a conclusion that the respondent company UBHL deserves to be wound up for failure to discharge their duties to pay up to their creditors," the judge's verdict stated.

Justice Kothari said the assets of UBHL could not be left under the company's control, possession and management. Mallya, who now lives in Britain, holds 52.34 per cent in UBHL.

The verdict was delivered via a video link from the Dharwad bench of the high court.

UBHL can now appeal for a stay of today's order at the division bench of the high court and move the Supreme Court if needed.

In 2012, IAE had filed a petition seeking the winding up of UBHL, the guarantor of Kingfisher Airlines.

The airline, which is grounded since October 2012 following the suspension of its permit by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, owes the engine maker Rs 153 crore. The high court further disposed of all interlocutory applications filed by UBHL during the course of the litigation.

Seven other winding-up petitions had been filed by lenders such as BNP Paribas, a consortium of banks led by the State Bank of India, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, RRPF Engine Leasing Ltd and Rolls Royce Plc. Their status was not immediately known.

A counsel of one of the Mallya companies said matters would now be in the court of the official liquidator from the Registrar of Companies who could start his work unless UBHL procured a stay order from the division bench of the high court.

The development comes weeks after the debt recovery tribunal in Bangalore ordered Mallya and his companies - UBHL, Kingfisher Finvest and Kingfisher Airlines - to pay Rs 6,203 crore plus interest at 11.5 per cent from July 26, 2013, to the bank consortium led by the SBI.

On January 27, the division bench of the high court had issued a bailable arrest warrant against Mallya in a contempt case filed by a bank consortium that loaned money to Kingfisher. This came after Mallya ignored an earlier order by the same court to appear before it on January 20.

The CBI is working on ways to extradite the liquor baron from Britain. Mallya had recently tweeted about being kicked around like a football by investigating agencies and even alleged that the media was being used to sully his name.

"Media happily being used as a pitch. I am the football. Two fiercely competitive teams NDA and UPA playing. Unfortunately no referee," he had tweeted.

The UBHL shares today closed 2.45 per cent down at Rs 39.80 after opening at Rs 41 on the BSE.