HC quashes look-out circulars against founders of NDTV

NEW DELHI: The fundamental right to travel can't be curtailed "indefinitely", the Delhi high court said Friday as it quashed look-out circulars (LOCs) issued against NDTV founders Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy in 2021 following a case lodged against them by the CBI.Underlining the right to travel abroad is an integral part of the right to life and personal liberty guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution, Justice Sachin Datta held that the continued operation of the LOCs against the petitioners was an unjustified curtailment of their fundamental right. The HC pointed out that the probe against the couple has been pending for more than five years, during which the petitioners never attempted to evade the process of law, and a chargesheet had not even been filed yet."While this court is conscious of the complexities that may arise in investigations involving cross-border financial transactions, the fact remains that the petitioners' fundamental rights cannot be curtailed indefinitely on account of a prolonged and uncertain investigative process...an LOC for such an extended period, particularly when the petitioners have not been summoned for several years and there are no allegations of non-cooperation, cannot be sustained," it observed.