Mumbai, May 12 A special court on Tuesday allowed Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal to travel to London for four weeks for expert consultation of his medical condition.
Special judge R B Rote, hearing cases filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), allowed Goyal's plea, and noted that the right to travel abroad to seek an expert opinion and reassessment of medical condition for a person suffering from various ailments is a basic human right.
"It is an aspect of fundamental right guaranteed under the Constitution of India," the court remarked.
Senior counsel Aabad Ponda submitted Goyal is suffering from "malignant duodenum neuroendocrine tumors" and various other ailments, including heart disease.
"Due to the loss of his wife, the applicant also suffered from severe depression and had suicidal ideation," Goyal's lawyer argued.
His medical team in India recommended an international second opinion to explore non-surgical therapies, as Goyal's age and multiple co-morbidities make "supra-major" surgeries like the Whipple's procedure highly risky, the defence submitted.
The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) opposed the plea, saying the 77-year-old is the "prime orchestrator" of a Rs 5,716 crore financial fraud involving public funds from Canara Bank.
Special Public Prosecutor Sunil Gonsalves argued that Goyal posed a significant flight risk, citing the existence of high-value foreign assets and the presence of his son, Nivaan Goyal, in London.
However, judge Rote noted that Goyal has been legally classified as "sick and infirm" by the Bombay High Court.
Acknowledging his confirmed appointment with a doctor at Wellington Hospital in London for May 27, 2026, the court held that physical travel is necessary.
It was of the view that such a comprehensive reassessment of such a complex diagnosis cannot be conducted via video conference.
The court asserted that there was no evidence that Goyal had previously misused the liberties granted to him while on interim bail.
Hence, it allowed his foreign travel for four weeks, imposing several stringent conditions to mitigate the risk of absconding or tampering with evidence.
The 77-year-old businessman was arrested in September 2023 by the ED, which claimed he had laundered money, siphoning off loans given to Jet Airways by Canara Bank to the tune of Rs 538.62 crore. He is currently out on a medical bail.
The money laundering case stems from an FIR of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Jet Airways, Goyal, his wife Anita and some former executives of the now-grounded carrier in connection with the alleged bank fraud.
