A petition was today moved in Delhi High Court challenging the constitutional validity of the existence and formation of Intelligence Bureau (IB) and seeking its "disbanding".
The plea, filed by an advocate, also sought quashing of a Look Out Circular (LOC) allegedly issued against him by IB to prevent him from travelling to Iraq to do relief work and oppose ISIS activities there as well as imposing of a Rs 10 crore penalty on the agency for its action.
While the court did not go into the issue of formation, existence and functioning of IB, it asked the agency to inform it by May 12 whether an LOC was issued against the advocate and if yes, what is its status.
Justice Rajiv Shakdher gave the direction on the plea of advocate Mehmood Pracha who has sought disbanding of IB, saying the agency has not been set up under any statute and is not accountable to anyone.
Pracha has said,"...IB has become an uncontrollable all-powerful, extra-constitutional establishment in itself which runs parallel to the democratically-elected government and regularly interferes and influences opinions and decisions in all spheres of governance with unfettered impunity.."
His plea has contended that IB "must be forthwith brought under a legislation laying down clearly its charter, duties, functions, powers etc."
The petition has also challenged the Home Ministry 2010 office memorandum on issuing Look-Out Circulars saying it "does not flow from any enacted law".
Referring to the recent incident of Greenpeace activist Priya Pillai being restrained from travelling to London, Pracha said while she was alleged to have been campaigning against the policy of India but he and his associates were acting in consonance with the country's policy.
