VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court has strongly objected to the arbitrary and mechanical issuance of Look Out Circulars (LOCs) by police, observing that such action violates an individual’s fundamental right to life and personal liberty guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.
Delivering the judgment on Monday, Justice Konakanti Srinivas Reddy expressed surprise over LOCs being issued even in matrimonial dispute cases registered under IPC Section 498A.
The court made it clear that LOCs should be issued only in serious cases such as grave crimes, economic offences, anti-national activities, or situations where national sovereignty, security, strategic or economic interests, or broader public interest may be at risk.
The court observed that preventing a person from travelling abroad without valid reasons amounts to curtailing personal liberty.
It noted that issuing LOCs merely because a case is registered under Section 498A can adversely impact the accused’s employment and livelihood, especially when such cases often end in compromise or take a long time to reach trial.
The observations came while quashing an LOC issued against L.V. Arun Kiran, a resident of Visakhapatnam, who works as an electrical technician in Abu Dhabi.
Following a complaint by his wife, a 498A case was registered at the Visakhapatnam Women Police Station. Arun Kiran appeared before the police, obtained bail, and returned to Abu Dhabi for work after the charge sheet was filed.
However, when he arrived in Visakhapatnam on January 14 this year for court proceedings, police detained him citing the LOC. Though he was later released on sureties, the LOC prevented him from returning abroad for employment.
Arun Kiran approached the High Court last month, challenging the LOC. After hearing the petition, the HC set aside the LOC, statng that such restrictions can be imposed only when there is a real apprehension of threat to national interests or public safety, and not in matrimonial disputes.