ED opposes journalist's plea challenging LOC issued against her

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate Friday opposed a petition by journalist Rana Ayyub seeking to quash a Look Out Circular (LOC) issued against her barring her from travelling abroad.

The ED alleged before the high court that Ayyub was involved in a serious offence regarding funds involving over Rs one crore. Justice Chandra Dhari Singh granted time to Additional Solicitor General S V Raju to place certain facts on record and listed the matter for further hearing on April 4.

Ayyub was detained at the Mumbai Airport by the Bureau of Immigration on March 29, when she was supposed to travel to London to attend some journalistic events.

She approached the high court challenging the LOC issued against him and sought to quash any direction or instruction preventing her from travelling abroad.

The ASG and ED's lawyer Amit Mahajan contended that monies were received not only in dollars but also in rupees, running over one crore and certain fake bills have been submitted by her, and money for relief work has been siphoned off.

The journalist, in her petition through advocates Vrinda Grover and Soutik Banerjee, said that on March 29, she arrived at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai, to board a flight to London to attend events about the global problem of cyber attacks on women journalists, as well as to deliver a keynote speech on the status of journalism in India.