Mumbai: The right to travel abroad has in fact been recognised as a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, the Bombay High Court held while allowing a witness in a CBI case seeking court nod to visit the US and UK for a short duration.
A Vacation Bench of Justices Kamal Khata and Shyam Chandak allowed witness Sanjay Dangi to travel to the US and UK from June 6 to June 23.
Dangi, promoter of Authum Investment and Infrastructure Limited as NDSI Non-Banking Financial Company, was summoned by the Central Bureau of Investigation as a witness in its probe in the alleged scam involving Wadhawan promoted Dewan Housing Finance Limited (DHFL).
Authum Investment is registered with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and has a net worth of Rs 9,500 crores.
The bench while granting permission also suspended till June 24 the Look Out Circular (LOC) issued by the CBI against Dangi.
In his plea before the court it was informed that the petitioner has not been named in the chargesheet filed by the CBI case and was, in fact, summoned by the agency to give evidence as a witness. Also, he was permitted to travel abroad on five occasions and never has he breached any of the conditions imposed on him.
