New Delhi, The Delhi High Court on Monday sought the city police’s stand on a plea by activist Natasha Narwal, who is out on bail in cases arising from the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, seeking permission to travel to the United Kingdom for an academic conference.
Narwal was named as an accused by Delhi Police in three FIRs registered in connection with the protest during the violence in northeast Delhi in 2020, including the ‘larger conspiracy’ case under the Unlawful Activities Act .
Justice Amit Bansal issued notice on Narwal’s petition challenging a trial court order refusing her the relief in the case registered under the anti-terror law UA and listed the matter for hearing on October 15. On October 6, the trial court had refused to permit Narwal to travel to the UK in view of the seriousness of the case against her and the stage of proceedings.
In June 2021, the high court had granted bail to Narwal and Devangana Kalita in the UA case, observing that “in an anxiety to suppress dissent, the state has blurred the line between right to protest and terrorist activity” and if such a mindset gains traction, it would be a “sad day for democracy”.
