Bank Letter Cannot Restrict Fundamental Right to Travel

The Madras High Court has rejected a bank’s attempt to restore a travel restriction against a borrower, holding that a lender’s letter cannot displace the constitutional right to travel abroad.

Bank of Baroda sought review of an earlier order removing a lookout circular. The court said personal liberty under Article 21 may be curtailed only by law and that a bank manager’s communication to immigration authorities does not meet that requirement.

The bench added that a mortgage or loan default does not extinguish a citizen’s fundamental rights. It declined to treat an order of the Supreme Court in another case as creating a universal rule authorising such restrictions.

The review petition was dismissed on October 1, 2026.