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NEUTRAL CITATION NO. 2025:MPHC-IND:38015

1 WP-50460-2025

IN THE HIGH COURT OF MADHYA PRADESH

AT INDORE

BEFORE

HON'BLE SHRI JUSTICE HIMANSHU JOSHI

th

ON THE 29 OF DECEMBER, 2025

WRIT PETITION No. 50460 of 2025

SONALI AJMERA AND OTHERS

Versus

UNION OF INDIA AND OTHERS

Appearance:

Shri Yash Agrawal - Advocate for the petitioners [P-1].

Shri Sunil Kumar Jain -Assitant Solicitor General appeared for the

respondent/UOI.

Shri J.B. Mehta -Advocate appeared for respondent.

ORDER

Heard learned counsel for the petitioners and learned counsel for the

respondents. With the consent of parties, the matter is finally heard.

2. The present writ petition has been filed under Article 226 of the

Constitution of India seeking the following reliefs:

(i) quashment of the Look Out Circular(s) issued against the

petitioners as being arbitrary, illegal and an abuse of process; and

(ii) a consequential direction to the respondents to permit the

petitioners to travel internationally without any obstruction on the basis of

the said Look Out Circular(s).

3. The facts in brief are that The petitioners are facing criminal

proceedings in connection with certain cases registered against them. It is not

Signature Not Verified

Signed by: HARIKUMAR

NAIR

Signing time: 1/3/2026

6:03:09 PM

NEUTRAL CITATION NO. 2025:MPHC-IND:38015

2 WP-50460-2025

in dispute that the investigation in the said cases has already been completed,

charge-sheets have been filed, and the petitioners have been granted bail in

all pending matters.

4. A Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued against the petitioners

during the pendency of investigation. Subsequently, this Court, considering

the facts and circumstances of the case, granted protection to the petitioners.

Vide order dated 01.05.2023, passed in MCRC No. 10888 of 2019, this

Court directed that no coercive action shall be taken against petitioner No.2,

which order continues to remain in force.

5. In respect of petitioner No.1, this Court, vide order dated

14.10.2024, expressly stayed the Look Out Circular issued against her.

Despite the said order, the issue persisted, compelling petitioner No.1 to

again approach this Court, whereupon vide order dated 13.11.2024, passed in

MCRC No. 4198 of 2017, this Court reiterated in clear and unambiguous

terms that the Look Out Circular issued against the applicant shall remain

stayed.

6. It is the specific case of the petitioners that the aforesaid orders were

duly communicated to the concerned authorities. However, when the

petitioners attempted to travel internationally, they were restrained by the

officials of respondent No.2 by relying upon the very same Look Out

Circular, which had already been stayed by this Court.

7. Aggrieved by the continued enforcement of the Look Out Circular

in the teeth of binding judicial orders, the petitioners have approached this

Court by way of the present writ petition.

Signature Not Verified

Signed by: HARIKUMAR

NAIR

Signing time: 1/3/2026

6:03:09 PM

NEUTRAL CITATION NO. 2025:MPHC-IND:38015

3 WP-50460-2025

8. Learned counsel for the petitioners submitted that the action of the

respondents in restraining the petitioners from travelling abroad is in direct

violation of multiple orders passed by this Court, and amounts to an arbitrary

curtailment of the petitioners’ fundamental rights under Articles 14 and 21 of

the Constitution of India. It was contended that once the Look Out Circular

has been stayed and protection against coercive action has been granted, the

respondents had no authority to continue enforcing the same. It was further

submitted that the investigation having been completed and the petitioners

being on bail, the continued subsistence of the Look Out Circular serves no

lawful purpose.

9. Per contra, learned counsel for the respondents sought to justify the

action by contending that the Look Out Circular was issued in connection

with criminal cases and was intended to secure the presence of the petitioners

and the petitioner has failed to bring on record on record any document that

they were restrain