The Delhi high court quashed look-out circulars issued against NDTV founders Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy, deeming their prolonged enforcement disproportionate and arbitrary. Justice Sachin Datta ruled that they unjustifiably curtail the fundamental right to travel abroad under Article 21 of the Constitution. The court directed the couple to cooperate fully with the investigating agency.
The Delhi high court on Friday quashed look-out circulars (LOCs) issued by the Bureau of Immigration in 2019 and effective from January 11, 2021, against NDTV's former directors and promoters Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy, at the CBI's request. Justice Sachin Datta held that the prolonged continuation of the LOCs is “disproportionate and arbitrary”, asserting that the right to travel abroad is an integral part of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution. The court noted that the Roys have been subjected to the LOCs for over five years despite fully cooperating with the investigation, never attempting to abscond, and with no chargesheet filed since the FIR registration. The CBI lodged the first FIR in 2017, for which a closure report was accepted by a court in 2025. A second FIR was filed in August 2019 for cheating and under the Prevention of Corruption Act. According to the CBI, between May 2004 and May 2010, NDTV Ltd allegedly floated approximately 32 subsidiary firms across various jurisdictions, including tax havens, to route funds from abroad. However, no chargesheet has been filed to date. The court directed the couple to furnish an undertaking to appear before the investigating authority as required and fully cooperate.