What Should I Do If a Look Out Circular Is Issued Against Me?

Short answer: Identify the agency that requested the Look Out Circular and the case behind it, then seek withdrawal from that agency, permission to travel from the trial court if a case is pending, or quashing from the High Court. Courts have held that an LOC is a coercive measure of last resort, and that a loan default alone does not justify one.

What an LOC is

A Look Out Circular is an executive alert, executed by the Bureau of Immigration, asking that a person be stopped or reported at a border or airport. It is issued at the request of an originating agency under the Ministry of Home Affairs office memorandum of 22 February 2021, which consolidated earlier guidelines. The person concerned is often unaware of it until stopped while leaving India.

What the courts have held

In Viraj Chetan Shah v. Union of India (April 2024), a Bombay High Court bench of Justices Gautam Patel and Madhav Jamdar held that the right to travel abroad is part of Article 21 and that the inclusion of public sector bank officials as LOC requesters, under Clause 6(B)(xv) of the memorandum, was bad in law. It did not affect travel restrictions imposed by courts or tribunals.

In Ritu Singal v. Bureau of Immigration (17 April 2026), Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav of the Delhi High Court, deciding a batch of 33 petitions, held that an LOC is a coercive, last-resort measure and not a tool for debt recovery. A default alone does not meet the tests of necessity and proportionality; the economic interests ground in Clause 6(L) must be read narrowly; directors, guarantors and relatives cannot be restrained merely because of their position; and LOCs must be reviewed and withdrawn once their purpose is served. The High Court is not the only forum; relief may be sought from the originating authority or the trial court.

The usual routes to relief

• A representation to the originating agency, showing cooperation and the absence of any risk of flight.
• Where a charge-sheet or complaint is pending, an application to the trial court for permission to travel or for modification of the LOC.
• A writ petition before the High Court where the LOC lacks a lawful basis or is disproportionate.

Related questions

How do I find out who issued the LOC?

The immigration officer usually indicates that an LOC exists. Details of the originating agency can then be sought from that agency or through the court, so that the request can be challenged.

Can a bank get an LOC against me for a loan default?

The Bombay High Court in 2024 and the Delhi High Court in 2026 held that public sector banks cannot seek LOCs under Clause 6(B)(xv), and that a default alone does not justify restricting travel.

Will the court impose conditions if the LOC is lifted?

Often yes. Courts have required advance intimation of travel plans and other safeguards, and these should be followed strictly.

Does an LOC mean I will be arrested?

Not necessarily. An LOC is a travel restriction, not an arrest warrant; what happens at the airport depends on the request made by the originating agency.

Practical points

• Keep copies of all notices received and your replies and appearances.
• Do not attempt to travel through another route while an LOC is in force.
• Identify whether the LOC arises from a bank, an investigating agency or a court proceeding.
• If a case is pending, approach the trial court first for travel permission.
• Ask for periodic review where the purpose of the LOC appears to have been served.

Sources: SCC Online Blog, 15 Oct 2026; Law Trend, 23 Apr 2024.

For a confidential discussion on Look Out Circulars and travel restrictions, see Criminal Lawyer, Surajpur Court, Greater Noida.

General legal information only; not legal advice or solicitation.