Mumbai, Jun 11 (PTI) A special court for CBI cases here has rejected an application filed by a businessman, accused of committing serious economic offences, to visit several countries stating that the right to travel abroad is not "absolute".
Judge B Y Phad, in the order passed on June 10, cited concerns about prolonged and widespread nature of the proposed travel and its impact on the ongoing trial.
The right to travel abroad is an integral part of personal liberty, but as observed by the Bombay High Court in a recent order, it is not an absolute right for the accused facing a criminal trial, the special court noted.
Pareen Sanghvi, the applicant, is accused of committing serious economic offenses and was booked for cheating, criminal conspiracy and forgery under the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Currently out on bail, he had sought permission to travel to the UAE, Qatar, Singapore, United Kingdom, USA, Turkey, Italy, France, Switzerland, Spain, other parts of Europe, Sri Lanka, Maldives, South Africa, Thailand, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Philippines, Georgia, Kuwait, Australia, and "other countries in Asia."
The purpose of travel was stated as carrying out business activities and visiting various companies for "quality control inspection". Sanghvi wanted to travel between June 12, 2025, to December 31, 2025, the application said.
The court said such a blanket permission to travel to a vast number of countries across multiple continents can not be granted.
The plea lacked specific details such as dates of travel to each country, precise addresses of intended visits, names of companies to be visited or confirmed business appointment letters, the court noted.
The judge cited the prosecution's apprehension that the accused may attempt to avoid or delay the trial, or may not return to India.
"The task of tracing and extraditing an accused from such a wide array of countries would indeed be onerous and time-consuming," he noted, rejecting the plea.