Activist Priya Pillai’s plea: HC notice to home ministry, IB

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Wednesday sought a response from the Centre on a plea by a Greenpeace activist challenging the government guidelines that led to her “offloading” from an international flight.
Justice Rajiv Shakdher issued notice to IB, MHA and Immigration Department seeking their responses on Priya Pillai's plea accusing them of violating her basic rights of personal liberty and freedom of speech.
Approaching the court, Pillai said her offloading was “illegal and arbitrary” and she had a valid business visa for six months to visit London where she was scheduled to address British parliamentarians Jan 14.
“The illegal offloading by over-zealous government agencies is not just a violation of her basic right to personal liberty and freedom of speech but is also deliberate attempt to malign her reputation,” senior advocate Indira Jaisingh appearing for Pillai told the court.
Jaisingh also sought interim relief to travel to London saying Pillai is invited to attend a meeting there on February 11, prompting HC to seek a reply from the Centre in this regard by February 06.
Pillai’s petition challenges the look out circular issued against her. “The circular has no legal basis as the petitioner neither has any conviction against her, nor has she ever evaded arrest or trial in any case,” the plea has argued.
It contends that her reputation and work is being “targeted” by the government and urged the court to issue an appropriate order to “expunge” the endorsement “offload” on her passport and also issue an order to set aside the lookout circular against her at the earliest.
Pillai was invited by British MPs to talk about her campaigning with local communities in Mahan in Madhya Pradesh, where a proposed coal mining project is threatening to uproot the lives and livelihood of the forest community.
The court notices were issued on the activist's plea seeking direction to the concerned authorities to expunge the remarks made while offloading her from the flight by immigration officials on January 11, while she was on the way to London to make a presentation before British MPs, regarding alleged human rights violation at Mahan in Madhya Pradesh.