Punit Agarwal v. Bank Of Baroda
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY
ORDINARY ORIGINAL CIVIL JURISDICTION INTERIM APPLICATION NO. 4677 OF 2025 IN WRIT PETITION NO. 2624 OF 2021 Punit Agarwal .... Applicant/Petitioner V/s.
Bank of Baroda and Ors.
.... Respondents WITH INTERIM APPLICATION (L) NO. 26126 OF 2025 IN WRIT PETITION NO. 2843 OF 2021 Punit Agarwal .... Applicant/Petitioner V/s.
Reserve Bank of India and Ors.
.... Respondents Mr. Siddha Pamecha a/w. Mr. Akash Warang for the Applicant/Petitioner. Mr. Saurabh Utangale for Respondent No.2 in WP/2843/20241. Mr. Y.S. Bhate a/w. Mr. Ajinkya Jaibhave for Respondent Nos.3, 4 and 5. Mr. Amit Munde, Special PP a/w. Mr. Jai Vohra for Respondent Nos. 4 and 6 respectively i.e., CBI, ACB.
CORAM : BHARATI DANGRE & SHYAM C. CHANDAK, JJ.
DATED : 26th NOVEMBER, 2025 P.C. :- .
Present Interim Applications filed in the aforesaid disposed of Writ Petitions respectively, seek directions to permit the Applicant/Petitioner to travel abroad as per the Revised Schedule 'A' annexed to the Petitions. 2) Heard learned Counsel for the respective parties. 3) We have perused the Applications along with the Revised 1/4
Schedule 'A' produced today. It states that the Applicant/Petitioner is desirous to travel abroad for certain business purpose, meeting friends and family, i.e., from 30/11/2025 to 05/12/2025 to Dubai, UAE and, from 20/12/2025 to 03/01/2026 to United Kingdom.
4) The Applications deserve to be entertained in the wake of the interim directions issued by the Apex Court in Special Leave to Appeal (C) Nos.17194 and 17230/2024 raising a challenge to the Order passed by the Division Bench where it held that the Bank has no power to issue a Look Out Notice and the Apex Court, by way of an interim Order, has directed the Applicant/Petitioner who is desirous of traveling abroad to approach the High Court and obtain requisite permission.
5) It is in the wake of the aforesaid circumstances, the Applications are filed seeking the requisite permission with a specific pleading that, earlier, on 16 occasions, the Applicant was permitted to travel abroad on furnishing his itinerary of travel and accordingly, he had travelled abroad and returned back to India within the timeline that was specified. 6) In view of the above and the observations in the earlier Orders, we are inclined to allow these Applications and pass the following Order :- (a) The Applicant is permitted to travel to Dubai, UAE from 30/11/2025 to 05/12/2025 to Dubai, UAE and to United Kingdom from 20/12/2025 to 03/01/2026.
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(b) The Applicant shall file an undertaking in this Court setting out a detailed itinerary of the above travel including the airline tickets, addresses of the hotels where he would be staying during the above travel, along with other contact details. This undertaking shall also state that the Applicant shall return to India on 05/12/2025 and thereafter, avail the second trip.
(c) The Applicant shall also file another undertaking stating that he would not apply for renewal and/or extension of this Order until he returns to India.
(d) Both the aforesaid undertakings shall be served on the Advocate for the Respondents, i.e., Bank of Baroda and State Bank of India before the date of departure.
(e) The Applicant shall file an affidavit indicating the expenses incurred by him during the above travel and the source/s of income used for funding the said expenses with necessary proof.
7) It is clarified that this Order does not apply to any other Look Out Circular and/or restraint order, if issued by any other 3/4
Authority/Court/Agency/Bank.
8) The Immigration Authorities at all Ports of Departure including all Airports will permit the Applicant's passage and allow him to take flights out of the country irrespective of whether the Respondent - Banks have notified him or not and irrespective of whether this suspension is noted in the Immigration Authorities systems or otherwise. 9) The Immigration Authorities shall not insist upon a certified copy of this Order but will act on presentation of an authenticated or digitally signed copy of this Order.
10) The Interim Applications are disposed of in aforesaid terms. (SHYAM C. CHANDAK, J.) (BHARATI DANGRE, J.) PREETI HEERO JAYANI PREETI HEERO JAYANI Date: 2025.11.27 19:19:37 +0530 4/4