New Delhi: The Delhi High Court allowed Monday journalist Rana Ayyub to travel abroad. It also questioned the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over a Look Out Circular (LOC) issued against her barring her from travelling abroad. Justice Chandra Dhari Singh said the permission is subject to appropriate conditions and a detailed order will follow.
“Deposit some money. Also, inform agencies as to where you are staying. Share your phone number,” the court said in its order for Rana Ayyub.
The court was hearing Ayyub’s plea seeking to quash a LOC issued against her barring her from travelling abroad. The plea, however, was opposed by the ED. It alleged that she was involved in a serious offence regarding funds involving over rupees one crore. It also said that there was an apprehension that she might not return to India.
During the hearing, the judge asked the ED as to ‘how do you defend your LOC? It is an admitted fact that whenever a summons was issued, she replied and she appeared before officers. How do you say that she is avoiding investigation? Because for LOC, evidence should be satisfactory’.
To this, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the ED, said a person who wants to flee the country will always say that she will come back.
“Look at her conduct. Despite repeated summons, documents have not been supplied. Fake bills have been provided. According to us prima facie, there is a case of cheating. The cooperation part is missing and appearance before the agency is not cooperation,” argued Raju.
The court responded that ‘if a person is appearing before the agency and the agency says that the person is appearing but she is not cooperating, what is the yardstick to show that? If there is non-cooperation then why don’t you arrest her’?
Advocate Vrinda Grover, appeared for Ayyub. She submitted that the documents were already there with the ED’s Mumbai office and the entire credit card statement was also there.
The judge said at this stage, he was only examining the LOC and whether the woman can be allowed to go abroad or not. The court was not on the merits of the case.
On being asked by the court whether Ayyub’s bank account has been frozen by the agency, the ASG replied in affirmative. “Now we want her to sit with us. Our case is money has not been used for Covid relief,” Raju stated.
The court said the ASG’s apprehension was that the journalist will not come back and asked Grover to satisfy the court on this issue. Grover said her client lives in Mumbai in a joint family. Rana Ayyub has been living in India always and asked how can she run away with the money which is frozen and maintained that she was cooperating with the agency. “It is my voice that is being sought to be gagged,” Grover contended on behalf of Ayyub. She added, “I will come back and join, Can fundamental rights like practicing my profession be denied?”
Ayyub was detained at the Mumbai Airport by the Bureau of Immigration March 29. She was supposed to travel to London to attend some journalistic events. Ayyub approached the high court challenging the LOC issued against her and sought to quash any direction or instruction preventing her from travelling abroad.