New Delhi – The Centre on Wednesday offered to remove Greenpeace activists Priya Pillai’s name from the LOC (look out circular) list provided she gave an undertaking she won’t “embarrass” the country by addressing the United Kingdom Parliament on alleged human rights violation.
But the offer was rejected by Pillai even as the Delhi High Court termed the decision to offload her last month as “inappropriate”. “The government decision is not appropriate as there are many people who indulged in various anti-national activities but were traveling abroad,” Justice Rajiv Shakdher said during a hearing that saw heated exchanges between the Additional Solcitor General and the senior lawyers representing Pillai.
HC said there can be a difference of opinion but it does not mean that a person’s movement is curtailed. “A difference point of view doesn’t tantamount to being anti-national,” it remarked while responding to the claim of ASG Sanjay Jain that Pillai’s proposed “testimony” before a British parliamentary committee would have been “prejudicial” to India’s interests.
HC pointed out how “this is not the first instance where such an event is going to take place. We have to be careful with our decision or else the same will bite us one day. There will be protest or agitation before the coming up of projects in India but the same are settled as time passes.”
But the senior law officer of the government stuck to his guns saying that Pillai’s meeting with the committee would have had a “global cascading effect” which would create a “false image” of the country’s “massive” efforts to protect tribal rights. It would only serve the “foreign policy interest of a foreign nation.”
Jain argued the LOC “was focused only on the proposed activity of her deposing before a foreign Parliament” and the government will withdraw it if she gives an undertaking not to depose before the UK parliamentary committee on violations in the country. The law officer alleged that UK, US and European Parliament bring out “heavily biased” annual reports on rights violations which could leave India “open to a potential sanction regime”.
37-year-old Pillai has sought permission to travel to London to make a presentation before British MPs on alleged human rights violation at Mahan in Madhya Pradesh, reported timesofindia.
Senior advocate Indira Jaising, appearing for Pillai, argued that barring her from travelling to London is “completely unlawful and malafide and without any authority of law” and demanded quashing of the alleged ‘look out circular’ (LOC) against her. She also sought removal of remarks made on Pillai’s passport by the immigration officials.
Jaising submitted that Pillai does not have any criminal conviction against her nor has there been any order impounding or revoking her passport by the concerned Passport Authority. “She is not evading any trial or arrest under any law, for which a lookout circular is to be issued. She is the victim of the system.”
She further said Pillai has the right to project her views against the policies of government in democratic country like India.