New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday refused to allow Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal to go abroad and sought response of the Centre on his plea challenging a look out circular (LOC) issued against him.
Justice Suresh Kait said no interim relief can be granted at this stage and added that he may deposit ₹18,000 crore guarantee if he wants to travel to a foreign country now.
The court was hearing Goyal's plea challenging the LOC issued against him on the ground that as on 25 May when he was de-boarded from a flight to Dubai, no ECIR/FIR was registered against him.
The circular against Goyal was issued by the corporate affairs ministry after it found several irregularities in the airline company, following which Goyal his wife, Anita, were offloaded from a flight to Dubai on 25 May.
On 25 March, Naresh Goyal, the then Jet Airways chairman, had stepped down, paving way for lenders to bail out the financially troubled airline he set up 25 years ago.
Jet Airways suspended operations on 17 April due to severe cash crunch, while struggling with massive debt. The airline’s total liability, including unpaid salaries and vendor dues, is nearly Rs15,000 crore.
Lenders have failed to revive the airline, and the consortium, led by State Bank of India (SBI), sent Jet Airways to the bankruptcy court in June to recover their dues.
