Mumbai: Observing that “permanently residing outside the court’s jurisdiction is a completely separate matter from merely traveling beyond it”, a special NIA court on Thursday rejected a plea by journalist Gautam Navlakha, an accused in the Elgar Parishad case, seeking permission to permanently reside in Delhi.
Citing financial strain, unemployment, and an ailing 86-year-old sister, Navlakha moved the plea in April. “Since the high court has not granted such liberty either to the accused or to this court as well, this unnecessary application deserves to be rejected,” the judge said. The court said that the Bombay high court, while imposing conditions on the accused and releasing him on bail, directed him “not to travel outside the jurisdiction of the court without prior permission of the trial court”. “It simply means that the Bombay high court pleased to give liberty to this court to allow the accused to travel beyond the territorial jurisdiction of the court if the reasons of the accused are thought fit for that. The high court has not granted discretion to this court to allow the accused to reside permanently outside the jurisdiction,” the judge said. Navlakha, who was initially granted bail in 2023 but released from custody in 2024, is currently residing in Bandra (West).
The plea said that the 72-year-old and his partner, Sahba Hussain (73), are permanent residents of Delhi, where they have their home, employment, and social connections. The prosecution strongly opposed the plea. “Over time, it has become uneconomical and burdensome for him to cope with the increasing finances. He has been struggling to meet up with the basic necessities such as house rent, bread and butter, travel
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