New Delhi: Delhi High Court today quashed the lookout circular notice against Greenpeace activist Priya Pillai who was stopped from flying to London in January.
The HC bench of Justice Rajiv Shakdher also directed the Central government to expunge endorsements made while offloading Pillai from a flight to London by immigration officials at the Delhi airport on January 11.
Pillai had objected to the government's move of offloading her when she was on her way to London to brief British Parliamentarians on the rights of forest-dwelling communities affected by coal mining.
The Greenpeace activist said she has the fundamental right to express her opinion on issues, both nationally and internationally.
The Central government had earlier told the court that Pillai was involved in anti-national activities and that was why she was offloaded at the airport.
The central government had offloaded Pillai and also issued a Look Out Circular (LOC), against which she has moved the court.
Advocate Indira Jaising, who appeared for Pillai, argued that the LOC was issued without any authority of law.
The High Court had earlier termed as inappropriate the central government's decision to prevent Pillai from leaving India on the ground that she would project a negative image of the country at the international level.
In her petition, she said her offloading was illegal and arbitrary and she had a valid business visa for six months to visit London where she was scheduled to address British parliamentarians on January 14.
Pillai was invited to talk about her campaign with local communities in Mahan in Madhya Pradesh, where a proposed coal mining project is allegedly threatening to uproot the lives and livelihood of the community.
