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The Supreme Court on Monday said a foreigner should not be allowed to leave India if required to answer a criminal charge. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhyuan said while granting bail to a foreign national, the court should issue a direction to the state or the prosecuting agency, to immediately inform about its order to the registration officer concerned under the Registration of Foreigners Rules, 1992. "When a foreigner's presence is required in India to answer a criminal charge, permission to leave India must be refused. Under the Order (1948 order), the civil authority can impose restrictions on the movements of a foreigner," the bench said. The bench said the registration officer should then communicate the bail order to all relevant agencies, including the civil authority. The apex court's order came in a case where it had decided two main issues concerning bail conditions imposed on a Nigerian national in a drugs case in July, 2024. The top court had held the b