Delhi High Court allows Natasha Narwal to travel to UK for a month, but with strings attached: an undertaking to return, a bond and surety, and no comment on the merits of the Delhi riots case pending against her.
New Delhi: Natasha Narwal, an accused in the Delhi riots larger conspiracy case, can go to the United Kingdom from November 2 to December 1, 2026 to present a paper at an academic conference and attend doctoral meetings, the Delhi High Court has ruled, on a personal bond, a surety and an undertaking that she will return to India and will not seek asylum in the UK [Natasha Narwal v. State]. The allegations against her are untested, the Court has expressed no view on their merits, and she remains presumed innocent.
The order was passed by Justice Amit Bansal on Friday, October 16, on Narwal’s challenge to trial court orders in two riots cases that had refused her permission to travel. Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju appeared for the Delhi Police, which opposed the plea, and Advocate Adit Pujari appeared for Narwal.
The terms of travel
Travel is permitted from November 2 to December 1 on these terms. Narwal must furnish a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh with a surety from her brother, a resident of Haryana; give an undertaking before the trial court that she will return to India and will not seek asylum in the UK; and make no statement on the merits of the ongoing case during her stay in the UK. The order must accompany her visa application. The trial court will release her passport, and any Look Out Circular against her stays suspended for the duration of the trip. She must surrender her passport to the trial court within 48 hours of returning.
A paper in London and a PhD in progress
Narwal wanted to be in the UK from November 2 to December 1 to present a paper titled “Gendered Carceral Labour as Social Reproduction” at the 23rd Annual Historical Materialism Conference at SOAS, University of London, from November 5 to 8, and to attend supervisory meetings and doctoral training for her PhD. The High Court noted that it cannot be denied that she is pursuing her PhD at a university in the UK, and observed that the right to travel under Article 21 of the Constitution cannot be restricted.
The case she faces
Narwal is an accused in FIR No. 59 of 2020, registered by the Crime Branch and investigated by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police, which concerns the alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 North-East Delhi riots. She faces charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, along with provisions of the Indian Penal Code and other laws. The case is at the stage of consideration of charge, and none of the allegations has been tested at trial.
Two refusals below, then the High Court
On September 16, 2026, Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai at the Karkardooma Courts let her leave India only for the formality of obtaining a 10-year passport from the Passport Authority, directed her to deposit it in court the next day, and required a fresh application for any travel abroad. The Delhi Police had opposed that plea, and her counsel had said she planned to seek permission to travel to the UK for her Ph.D.
The trial court refused the travel request on October 6. It held that the right to travel abroad is not absolute, that the pending UAPA proceedings are a relevant consideration, that the case was at the stage of consideration of charge, and that the UAPA offences for which she was chargesheeted carry life imprisonment and, in some cases, the death penalty. Given the seriousness of the case and the stage of the proceedings, it said, permitting travel was not appropriate. Narwal then moved the High Court, which on October 12 issued notice on her plea and sought the Delhi Police’s response.
Case Title: Natasha Narwal v. State [FIR No. 59 of 2020, Delhi riots larger conspiracy case; case number of the petition not available]
Bench: Justice Amit Bansal, Delhi High Court
Date of Order: October 16, 2026
Appearances: Advocate Adit Pujari for the petitioner; Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju for the Delhi Police