Madras high court
This country does not follow a ‘Kafkaite trial’ but operates strictly in accordance with the Constitution, particularly Articles 21 and 22,” Justice V Lakshminarayanan said. The court adjourned the hearing to Sept 16. Because he/she can either choose to abide by the proceedings or take appropriate action against them, the court said, this is.
CHENNAI: Madras high court has observed that a person against whom a look-out circular (LOC) is issued must be made aware of it. “The Constitution guarantees certain rights to an accused person, including the right to know why he is facing adverse proceedings. The court made the observations on a plea moved by K Padmanabhan challenging a LOC issued against him. When the plea came up for hearing, the petitioner submitted that he was unaware of the number of LOCs or red flags that had been issued against him. Responding to the same, the Bureau of Immigration submitted that LOCs are confidential documents. CBI also concurred with the stand.
Recording the submissions, the court directed the bureau and CBI to file an affidavit explaining the reasons as to why LOCs have been treated as confidential and how a person should obtain permission to travel abroad before the final report is filed and taken cognizance of.