The Delhi High Court has allowed activist Natasha Narwal, who is out on bail in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case, to visit the UK for academic work. A founding member of Pinjra Tod, she must return to India, refrain from seeking asylum and surrender her passport within 48 hours of returning.
The Delhi High Court on Friday allowed activist and researcher Natasha Narwal, who spent over a year in custody before securing bail in the alleged larger conspiracy case linked to the 2020 Delhi riots, to travel to the United Kingdom for academic purposes.
Narwal, a PhD scholar, sought permission to visit the UK from November 2 to December 1 to attend an academic conference and undertake research.
What did the court say about her UK visit?
Justice Amit Bansal directed the trial court to release Narwal’s passport and ordered that any pending lookout circular against her remain suspended during the permitted travel period.
The court noted that her academic commitments at a UK university required her physical presence to present her research.
“The court is inclined to permit the petitioner to travel to the UK with suitable safeguards. The petitioner would be permitted to travel to the UK from November 2 to December 1,” it said.
Narwal and her brother were asked to submit written undertakings that she would return to India and would not seek asylum in the UK. She was also directed to furnish personal bonds of ₹50,000 each in two riots-related cases.
The court further directed her to surrender her passport within 48 hours of returning to India and refrain from commenting on the merits of the pending cases during her UK visit.
Cases linked to the Delhi riots
Delhi Police named Narwal as an accused in three cases linked to protests during the 2020 northeast Delhi violence. These include the alleged larger conspiracy case, in which she faces charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
She was taken into custody in 2020 and spent over a year in jail before securing bail in 2021.
On February 24, 2020, communal clashes broke out in northeast Delhi after violence between citizenship law supporters and protesters spiralled out of control, leaving at least 53 people dead and over 700 injured, PTI reported.
Delhi Police accused Narwal, along with Sharjeel Imam, Khalid Saifi, Umar Khalid and others, of being among the “masterminds” behind the violence, which took place while US President Donald Trump and other dignitaries were in the national capital.
Who is Natasha Narwal?
Narwal, a former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student and women’s rights activist, is a founding member of Pinjra Tod, according to Front Line Defenders. Established in 2015, the collective brings together women students and university alumni across Delhi to oppose restrictive hostel rules, including curfews, and challenge measures that limit women’s freedom of movement in the name of safety.
According to The Polis Project, Narwal grew up witnessing her father’s activism in the teachers’ front of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, which shaped her understanding of struggles for social justice in India.
She moved to Delhi in 2006 to pursue higher education at Delhi University. Her interest in social and political issues led her to join the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), a student organisation aligned with the Communist Party of India (Marxist). She contested elections for the posts of president and secretary of the Delhi University Students’ Union as an SFI candidate.
Narwal completed her bachelor’s degree in Modern History at Hindu College and her master’s degree at DU’s History Department. In 2012, she enrolled in an MPhil programme in Development Practice at Dr B. R. Ambedkar University in Delhi, studying tribal communities’ access to land rights in Odisha’s Rayagada district. She completed the programme in 2014.
Research and professional work
During a break from her studies, Narwal worked with the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies and the Society for Rural Urban and Tribal Initiative. She also volunteered on research projects, contributed to a documentary about khaps, patriarchal village bodies that wield considerable social influence, and undertook freelance translation work.
She worked as an investigative journalist for Newsclick, while her writing appeared in The Wire and Kafila. In 2018, she joined JNU’s Centre for Historical Studies as a research scholar, beginning doctoral work on the history of Delhi’s women’s movement.
About the Author
Swati Gandhi
Swati Gandhi is a digital journalist with over four years of experience, specialising in international and geopolitical issues. Her work focuses on foreign policy, global power shifts, and the political and economic forces shaping international relations, with a particular emphasis on how global developments affect India. She approaches journalism with a strong belief in context-driven reporting, aiming to break down complex global events into clear, accessible narratives for a wide readership.<br><br> Previously, Swati has worked at Business Standard, where she covered a range of beats including national affairs, politics, and business. This diverse newsroom experience helped her build a strong grounding in reporting, while also strengthening her ability to work across both breaking news and in-depth explanatory stories. Covering multiple beats early in her career has helped her be informed about her current work, allowing her to connect domestic developments with wider international trends.<br><br> At Live Mint, she focuses on international and geopolitical issues through a business and economic lens, examining how global political developments, foreign policy decisions, and power shifts impact markets, industries, and India’s strategic and economic interests.<br><br> She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English (Honours) from the University of Delhi and a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University. Her academic training has shaped her emphasis on precision, analytical rigour, and clarity in writing. Her interests include global political economy and the intersection of geopolitics with business.<br><br> Outside work, Swati focuses on exploring her passion and love for food. From fancy cafes to street spots, Swati explores food like a true foodie.