New Delhi: The Delhi high court on Wednesday ruled that NDTV co-founders Prannoy and Radhika Roy will be allowed to travel abroad in August, saying the duo has cooperated with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and have deep rooted ties in the country.In 2019, the Roys were prevented from leaving the country from Mumbai airport on the basis of a 2017 CBI case against them alleging financial irregularities during the couple’s tenure on NDTV’s managing committee.The single-judge bench of Justice Yashwant Varma passed the order while hearing an application filed by the couple, represented by senior advocate Mukul Rohtagi and a team of five other lawyers, seeking permission to travel abroad between August 1 and 30.The court was told that lookout circulars (LOC) were issued against the couple by the CBI on the basis of two first information reports (FIR) – one from 2017 and one from 2019. As such, the CBI argued, through special public prosecutor Anupam S. Sharma and three other advocates, that the investigation into the allegations of financial irregularities was still on and that they are ‘flight risks’.Also read: NDTV Founders Stopped From Leaving India, Channel Calls it ‘Subversion of Media Freedom’However, justice Varma concluded that there was no material to show that the couple was a flight risk. He said:“It is also not shown or established that they have failed to render cooperation in the ongoing investigation. From the material placed on behalf of the applicants, it is manifest that the petitioners have deep rooted ties in the country and consequently the prayer for interim permission as made would merit acceptance.”While the court allowed the couple’s application for travel, it directed them to furnish a copy of their flight tickets as well as a complete itinerary for their time abroad.Further, it directed them to submit their phone numbers to the CBI and submit a written undertaking to the Registrar General of the high court stating that they would return to India on or before August 30.After the Roys were stopped from travelling abroad in 2019, NDTV had issued a response on Twitter, calling the act a “complete subversion of media freedom” and a “warning to the media to fall in line – or else.”…and in which Radhika and Prannoy Roy have been fully cooperating. Today’s action is, along with events like raids on media owners, a warning to the media to fall in line- or else.” (3/3)— NDTV (@ndtv) August 9, 2019The Roys’ present application is ostensibly an effort to get ahead of the Union government’s trend of barring its detractors from travelling abroad at the eleventh hour through summons from central investigative agencies.In March this year, journalist Rana Ayyub was stopped from travelling to London on the basis of a summons to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) which was sent to her less than 90 minutes before her flight was scheduled to take off.Moreover, the summons, issued on March 29, directed her to appear before the ED on April 1, the very same day that she was scheduled to speak at an event in London.A week later, in April, writer and former head of rights organisation Amnesty International India, Aakar Patel, was stopped from leaving the country from Bengaluru airport on the basis of an LOC issued by the CBI.Both Patel and Ayyub moved the Delhi high court after they were stopped, seeking permission to fly. While Ayyub was allowed to travel, Patel was stopped again the next day, despite the Delhi high court ruling in his favour and even directing the CBI to apologise to him.Both Ayyub and Patel, as well as Amnesty, have been frequent critics of the Narendra Modi-led Union government and the latter two have been at the receiving end of government ire on numerous occasions.
