Today, on Nov 5th, the Supreme Court dismissed the Centre’s appeal upholding the Bombay High Court’s decision to revoke a Look Out Circular against Samuel Miranda, tied to Sushant Singh Rajput’s case. The court ruled that there was no merit in the appeal, highlighting Miranda’s cooperation and asserting his right to travel freely after 3.5 years without formal charges.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court dismissed the Centre’s appeal Today, on November 5th, upholding the Bombay High Court’s decision to quash a Look Out Circular (LOC) issued against Samuel Miranda, the former house help of the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput. A bench comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and K.V. Viswanathan stated, “We do not find any merit in the appeal,” noting that the case proceeded without any representation for the Centre during the hearing.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had initially issued the LOC for Samuel Miranda in 2020 in connection with an FIR registered following Rajput’s untimely demise. LOCs are typically used by law enforcement to prevent suspects from leaving the country during ongoing investigations. However, the Bombay High Court, in its April 10 order, quashed this LOC, stating that there was no apprehension that Miranda would evade trial or refuse to cooperate with the investigation.
The High Court noted, “Nothing was brought to our notice in the LOC, reflecting the ‘reason’ for issuing of the LOC, except registration of an FIR and setting out the gist of the FIR.” It further emphasized that no charge sheet or closure report had been filed by the CBI, and that Miranda had continuously cooperated with the investigation.
Miranda argued that maintaining an LOC against him for over 3.5 years without filing formal charges was an infringement of his fundamental rights. “Keeping the LOC pending for over 3.5 years has infringed the petitioner’s right to travel abroad, and clearly violates his fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, to travel freely,” Miranda contended.
The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Bombay High Court’s ruling sends a significant message about the legal limits of LOCs and underscores the importance of protecting individuals’ right to freedom of movement when they have shown consistent cooperation in an investigation.
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