New Delhi, (Samajweekly) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday moved Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court challenging its earlier order which was directed to set aside the Lookout Circular issued by the central agency against former Amnesty International India head Aakar Patel.
Special CBI Judge Santosh Snehi Mann will hear the matter Friday at 2 p.m.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pawan Kumar of the Rouse Avenue court had on Thursday granted relief to Patel who approached the court challenging the CBI’s Lookout circular which restrained him from boarding a US-bound flight from Bengaluru airport on Wednesday.
Apart from asking to recall the lookout circular, the court also sought a written apology from the CBI director. “In this case, a written apology from the head of CBI, i.e., Director CBI acknowledging lapse on part of his subordinate to the applicant would go a long way in not only healing wounds of the applicant but also upholding trust and confidence of the public in the premier institution,” the court order read.
It had taken note of the submissions of Patel’s counsel Tanvir Ahmad Mir, who argued that the circular was issued without any procedure, and highlighted the fundamental rights of the writer.
There was no question of not cooperating with the probe agency by his client, he said.
Journalist and writer Patel was on his way to the US when he was stopped from leaving the country at the Bengaluru airport on Wednesday citing a lookout circular issued against him by the CBI in connection with an FCRA (Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 case.
Patel had previously worked on topics related to 2002 Gujarat riots and presented a report “Rights and Wrongs” and has been writing columns for publications in India and Pakistan.
