Rouse Avenue court lets seven foreign nationals travel home for a month

Matthew Aaron Vandyke, a US citizen, and six Ukrainian nationals have been permitted to leave India for one month to meet their families.

Special NIA judge Prashant Sharma at Rouse Avenue Court ordered the release of their passports and said travel abroad forms part of the fundamental right recognised under the Constitution. The six Ukrainians named in the order are Hurba Petro, Slyviak Taras, Ivan Sukmanovskyi, Stefankiv Marian, Honcharuk Maksim alias Maksym, and Kaminskyi Viktor.

The travel period will begin when each person boards a flight. They must return to India after a month and notify the court within 72 hours. All seven have been granted default bail.

The court directed them to provide the NIA with residential addresses, working mobile numbers and email addresses within 24 hours. They must join the investigation by video call or in person if the agency requires it. Further investigation is continuing, though the prosecution said their immediate presence was not needed.

The court also allowed Vandyke's discharge application in offences under the Immigration and Foreigners Act after compounding on September 18.