A Delhi court on Sunday (June 25) said that the right to travel abroad is a valuable fundamental right that should be restricted only in exceptional circumstances. Special Judge Anil Antil made the remark while allowing a businessman accused of Rs 135 crore bank loan fraud to travel to the United States to attend his son's graduation ceremony. The judge granted Raman Sethi permission to travel to the US from June 12 to June 30, but warned him not to tamper with the evidence or try to influence the witnesses in any way.
The judge remarked: "Taking note of the fact that the right to travel abroad is a valuable fundamental right and can be curtailed only under exceptional circumstances, and merely because a case is pending against him before a court of law does not dis-entitle him to enjoy his fundamental right to travel as per his desire ... the present applicant is allowed," he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
In an order issued on June 9, the judge also stated that the accused had travelled to the UAE from May 6 to 12, 2023, and had successfully returned.
In his application, Sethi claimed that the CBI issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) against him despite the fact that "he was in fact the whistleblower in the present case." The fraud case was filed in response to a complaint filed by Union Bank of India against a company, PCL Oil & Solvents Ltd, and its directors/guarantors for loan default.
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The CBI claimed that the accused company and individuals stole Rs 135.5 crore between 2012 and 2020 and misappropriated funds by falsifying the company's books.
The investigation agency had opposed Sethi's application to fly abroad, claiming that the investigation was in its early stages.