Mallya

New Delhi, May 4: Tipu Sultan’s sword may have won him many a battle, but the Tiger of Mysore’s famed weapon has finally met its match in the great Indian bureaucracy.

Unable to cut through red tape, the sword that was rescued four years ago from an auction by liquor baron Vijay Mallya is still waiting to return home.

The king of good times, as Mallya is often called, bought the gleaming 42-inch sword for Rs 1.5 crore at an auction in London in 2004.

The sword was proudly displayed before shutterbugs in the flamboyant gesture typical of Mallya, a fortnight before the last Karnataka elections. Mallya was quoted as saying that the acquisition was purely personal and not political.

But since then, the sword has been waiting in exile in San Francisco.

The biggest hurdle in its return is custom duty that Mallya has consistently refused to pay.

A proud Kannadiga that he claims to be, Mallya has acquired 31 other memorabilia of Tipu Sultan — that includes guns and artillery — and feels he is exempt from customs duty on them as the items are national treasures. “If customs duty can be waived for Sachin’s car, then why shouldn’t the same apply to these antiques,” a source close to Mallya said. “These artefacts will be displayed in a public museum and no one else would have bought it.”

It is unclear how much money Mallya has been told to cough up. One of his aides said the items have not been sent for valuation and the liquor baron is certain he will not pay the duty.

The customs department may not be willing to budge, but Mallya has had better luck with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

The custodian of Tipu Sultan’s legacy now, the ASI has found a place for the Tiger of Mysore’s sword in his summer palace in Bangalore.

More than just a piece of history, the sword has deeper symbolism for India. Tipu Sultan was defeated and killed by the British in 1799 while protecting his capital, Srirangapatnam. His sword and other articles were shipped to England.

“There are three rooms that we have identified to display the sword and other artefacts,” said an ASI source. “The only problem is of the customs duty. The other issue that we have to sort out is what his (Mallya’s) right over the collection will be.”

On that, Mallya seems to have no doubt. He wants to own the collection and take it out of display whenever he feels like. “It’s only fair,” an aide said.

Mallya had given Rs 2 crore from his MP Local Area Development Scheme to revamp Tipu Sultan’s palace in Bangalore. But the money has not been released yet as the district collector is waiting for estimates from the ASI, sources said.

The negotiations on the touchy issue of ownership are yet to begin.