Natasha Narwal vs State Nct Of Delhi

$~32 & 33
* IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI
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% Date of decision: 16 October, 2026
# CNR No. DLHC010493812026
+ CRL.M.C. 7711/2026 & CRL.M.A. 32132/2026
32 NATASHA NARWAL .....Petitioner
Through: Mr. Adit S. Pujari, Mr. Chaitanya
Sundriyal, Mr. Manvender Singh
Shekhawat & Mr. Harshvardhan
Pushkin Sharma, Advocates
versus
STATE NCT OF DELHI .....Respondent
Through: Mr. S.V. Raju, ASG with
Mr. Madhukar Pandey, SPP and
Mr. Ayodhya Prasad, Mr. Dhruv
Pande, Mr. Aarush Bhatia,
Mr. Saravjeet Singh, Ms. Ishika
Singla, Advocates & Inspector Sushil
Kumar and ASI Sanjay, Special Cell,
NDR
# CNR No. DLHC010494012026
+ CRL.M.C. 7724/2026 & CRL.M.A. 32165/2026
33 NATASHA NARWAL .....Petitioner
Through: Mr. Adit S. Pujari, Mr. Chaitanya
Sundriyal, Mr. Manvender Singh
Shekhawat & Mr. Harshvardhan
Pushkin Sharma, Advocates
versus
Signature Not Verified
CRL.M.C. 7711/2026 & CRL.M.C. 7724/2026 Page 1 of 8
Signed By:AARZOO
Signing Date:17.10.2026
12:51:09

STATE NCT OF DELHI .....Respondent
Through: Mr. Madhukar Pandey, SPP and
Mr. Ayodhya Prasad, Mr. Dhruv
Pande, Mr. Aarush Bhatia,
Mr. Saravjeet Singh, Ms. Ishika
Singla, Advocates and SI Saurabh.
CORAM:
HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE AMIT BANSAL
AMIT BANSAL, J. (Oral)
1. The present petitions have been filed seeking setting aside of the
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orders dated 6 October, 2026, passed by the ASJ (Special Judge), Shahdara
District, Karkardooma Courts in Sessions Case 163/2020 and Sessions Case
354/2022, whereby the applications filed by the petitioner to travel to United
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Kingdom (‘UK’) from 2 November, 2026 to 1 December, 2026, have
been rejected.
2. The aforesaid two cases arise from the following FIRs:
i. FIR 50/2020 (now investigated by PS Crime Branch) registered
under Sections 147, 148, 149, 186, 353, 283, 332, 333, 323, 307, 302,
427, 120B, 34, 188 Indian Penal Code; Sections 25, 27 Arms Act,
1959; and Sections 3,4 of Prevention of Damage to Public Property
Act, 1984 registered with P.S. Jafrabad.
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ii. FIR 59/2020 dated 6 March, 2020 registered under Sections
120B, 109, 114, 124A, 147, 148, 149, 153A, 186, 201, 212, 295, 302,
307, 341, 353, 395, 420, 427, 435, 436, 452, 454, 468, 471, 34 of the
IPC; Sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act, 1959 (‘Arms Act’);
Sections 13, 16, 17, 18 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act,
Signature Not Verified
CRL.M.C. 7711/2026 & CRL.M.C. 7724/2026 Page 2 of 8
Signed By:AARZOO
Signing Date:17.10.2026
12:51:09

1967 (‘UAPA’) and Sections 3 and 4 of Prevention of Damage to
Public Property Act, 1984 registered with P.S. Special Cell.
3. In FIR No.50/2020 as referred above, the applicant has been granted
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bail by the Trial Court vide order dated 17 September, 2020. In FIR
No.59/2020, the applicant has been granted bail by the Division Bench of
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this Court on 15 June, 2021. One of the conditions in the bail order passed
by the Division Bench of this Court was that the petitioner shall surrender
her passport before the Trial Court and shall not travel out of the country
without prior permission of the Trial Court.
4. Mr. Adit S. Pujari, counsel appearing on behalf of the petitioner,
submits that charges are yet to be framed in both the cases.
5. It is stated that after being granted bail, the petitioner began to pursue
a PhD programme from School of Law, University of Warwick, UK. The
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petitioner has been admitted on 2 October, 2023 in the PhD programme.
6. The petitioner’s paper “ Gendered Carceral Labour as Social
Reproduction ” has been accepted in the annual conference to be held at
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School of Oriental and African Studies, London from 5 November, 2026 to
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8 November, 2026.
7. The passport of the petitioner has been deposited before the Trial
Court. The petitioner moved an application before the Trial Court seeking
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permission to travel to United Kingdom from 2 November, 2026 to 1
December, 2026 to attend the aforementioned annual conference and also to
visit her University to meet with her PhD Supervisors. The said application
was opposed by the respondent. The Trial Court vide impugned order dated
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6 October, 2026, has dismissed the application filed by the petitioner
Signature Not Verified
CRL.M.C. 7711/2026 & CRL.M.C. 7724/2026 Page 3 of 8
Signed By:AARZOO
Signing Date:17.10.2026
12:51:09

primarily on the ground that there are serious allegations against the
petitioner under the UAPA.
8. Mr. Pujari submits that the petitioner intends to travel to United
Kingdom purely for academic pursuits as the petitioner’s research paper is
to be presented before an International conference and also to meet her PhD
Supervisors at the University of Warwick, UK.
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9. Attention of the Court has been drawn to letter dated 21 September,
2026, sent by her PhD Supervisors wherein the petitioner has been invited to
present her work to the academic staff and post graduate researchers.
10. Mr. Pujari submits that the petitioner has deep roots in the society and
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undertakes that she will return back to the country on 2 December, 2026.
He submits that the brother of the petitioner, who resides in Haryana, is
willing to stand as a surety.
11. Reply has been filed on behalf of the respondent opposing the request
of the petitioner to travel abroad.
12. Mr. S.V. Raju, ASG appearing on behalf of the State, submits that the
United Kingdom has very strict extradition laws and if the petitioner decides
to seek asylum in the United Kingdom, it would be difficult to extradite her.
Mr. Raju further submits that the academic purposes for which the petitioner
seeks to travel to the United Kingdom can also be achieved virtually and
therefore there is no need for the petitioner to travel to United Kingdom.
13. I have heard the counsel for the parties.
14. The Supreme Court in Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India , (1978) 1
SCC 248, has held the right to travel abroad to be a facet of fundamental
right to life and liberty guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of
India and that no person shall be deprived of the same except in accordance
Signature Not Verified
CRL.M.C. 7711/2026 & CRL.M.C. 7724/2026 Page 4 of 8
Signed By:AARZOO
Signing Date:17.10.2026
12:51:09

with the procedure established by law. The relevant paragraphs of the said
judgment are set out below:
“ 174. I will now proceed to examine the provisions of Passports Act, 1967, to
determine whether the provisions of the Act are in accordance with the
procedures established by law:
175. The preamble states that the Act is to provide for the issue of passports
and travel documents to regulate the departure from India of citizens of India
and other persons and for matters incidental or ancillary thereto. It may be
remembered that this Act was passed after the Supreme Court had held in
Satwant Singh v. Union of India that the right to travel abroad is a part of
person's personal liberty of which he could not be deprived except in
accordance with the procedure established by law in terms of Article 21 of
the Constitution. The legislature came forward with this enactment prescribing
the procedure for issue of passports for regulating the departure from India of
citizens and others ”
[emphasis supplied]
15. It cannot be denied that the petitioner is pursuing her PhD for the last
three (3) years at University of Warwick, UK which is a renowned
University. Since her enrolment in 2023, till date the petitioner has been
pursuing PhD programme virtually without making any request to travel to
United Kingdom. The permission to travel to United Kingdom is sought at
this stage when the PhD programme is at fag-end, in order to present her
research paper and to meet her PhD Supervisors.
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16. A perusal of the communication/letter dated 21 September, 2026,
notes that her PhD Supervisors specially want her to appear in-person for the
supervisory meetings and present her work to the academic staff and post
graduate researchers and further take part in doctorate training on campus.
The letter also indicates that the visit is necessary for academic purposes and
for qualification of the thesis which the petitioner has to submit to obtain the
Signature Not Verified
CRL.M.C. 7711/2026 & CRL.M.C. 7724/2026 Page 5 of 8
Signed By:AARZOO
Signing Date:17.10.2026
12:51:09

PhD degree.
17. The aforesaid letter also notes that the research paper of the petitioner
titled “ Gendered Carceral Labour as Social Reproduction ” has been
accepted for presentation at an international conference to be held in London
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from 5 November, 2026 to 8 November, 2026 at School of Oriental and
African Studies (SOAS), London. The relevant extracts of the said letter are
set out below:-
“ Ms. Narwal has been registered as a doctoral candidate on the PhD in Law
programme at the University of Warwick since October 2023, that is, for
approximately three years. Her academic progress has been formally reviewed
at each annual milestone and has been assessed as satisfactory throughout; she
has no outstanding academic or disciplinary matters with the University.
Due to the specific circumstance, Ms. Narwal has undertaken her entire
doctorate remotely from India. The University now invites Ms. Narwal to visit
the School of Law at the University of Warwick from 10th to 22nd November
2026. During that visit she will: (a) hold her first in-person supervisory
meetings with us; (b) present her work in progress to academic staff and
postgraduate researchers at the Law School; (c) take part in doctoral
training and researcher-development sessions available only on campus; and
(d) make use of the University library and any relevant archival collections
like at the British Library which are only available offline .
In our professional judgement as her supervisors, this visit is of material
academic benefit to Ms. Narwal and to the quality of the thesis she will
ultimately submit for examination. Throughout these three years Ms. Narwal
has undertaken her entire doctorate remotely from India and has never been
physically present at the University. All supervision, training and scholarly
exchange have taken place by video conference and email. While this
arrangement has permitted her to make good progress, it carries well-
recognised limitations at doctoral level.
*
“ Ms. Narwal's paper, titled “Gendered Carceral Labour as Social
Reproduction”, has been accepted, following competitive peer review, for
presentation at the Twenty-Third Annual Historical Materialism Conference,
to be held from 5 - 8 November 2026 at the School of Oriental and African
Studies (SOAS), Russell Square, London WC1, United Kingdom. The
Historical Materialism conference is a long-established international
academic conference convened annually in London in association with the
Signature Not Verified
CRL.M.C. 7711/2026 & CRL.M.C. 7724/2026 Page 6 of 8
Signed By:AARZOO
Signing Date:17.10.2026
12:51:09

journal Historical Materialism (Brill) and is among the most significant
scholarly gatherings in its field. Acceptance of a paper by a doctoral
candidate is a mark of academic distinction and a recognised contribution to
the candidate’s scholarly record. ”
[emphasis supplied]
18. The trial against the petitioner is likely to take considerable amount of
time to be completed. The petitioner has been granted bail since 2021 and it
is not the case of the respondent that she has violated any of the conditions
of bail.
19. The fact that the petitioner has been charged of serious offences under
the UAPA does not curtail her right to travel abroad in a blanket manner.
20. The petitioner has roots in the society in as much as her close family
resides in the National Capital Region (NCR).
21. Considering the aforesaid facts and circumstances, this Court is
inclined to permit the petitioner to travel to United Kingdom albeit with
suitable safeguards.
22. Accordingly, the petitioner is permitted to travel to United Kingdom
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from 2 November, 2026 to 1 December, 2026 subject to the following
conditions:-
i. An undertaking shall be furnished by the petitioner as well as
her brother before the Trial Court, stating as under:
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a. The petitioner will return back to India on 2 December, 2026,
b.The petitioner shall not apply for asylum in the United
Kingdom, and
c. The petitioner shall not make any comments on the merits of
the ongoing cases against her during her stay in the United
Kingdom.
Signature Not Verified
CRL.M.C. 7711/2026 & CRL.M.C. 7724/2026 Page 7 of 8
Signed By:AARZOO
Signing Date:17.10.2026
12:51:09

ii. The petitioner shall furnish a cumulative personal bond in the
sum of Rs. 1,00,000/- in both the cases with the surety of her brother,
to the satisfaction of the Trial Court.
iii. The petitioner shall also furnish a copy of her UK visa (as and
when obtained), flight tickets as well as a detailed itinerary to the
Investigating Officer before leaving India.
iv. The order passed by this Court shall accompany the application
filed by the petitioner for grant of UK visa.
23. In light of the directions passed above, the Trial Court is directed to
immediately release the passport of the petitioner.
24. The LoC, if any, in the name of the petitioner shall remain suspended
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for the aforesaid period of the petitioner’s travel, i.e. from 2 November,
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2026 to 1 December, 2026.
25. The petitioner shall duly surrender her passport with the Trial Court
within 48 hours of her return to India.
26. Accordingly, the present petition is allowed in the above terms.
AMIT BANSAL, J
OCTOBER 16, 2026
ds
Signature Not Verified
CRL.M.C. 7711/2026 & CRL.M.C. 7724/2026 Page 8 of 8
Signed By:AARZOO
Signing Date:17.10.2026
12:51:09