A special NIA court at Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Courts has allowed US national Matthew Aaron Vandyke and six Ukrainian nationals accused in the Myanmar training camp case to travel abroad for one month to meet their families. Vandyke was granted permission to travel back to the United States and the six Ukrainian nationals to travel to Ukraine under a number of conditions.
The seven foreign nationals were arrested in March 2026 in connection with the Myanmar training camp case. NIA Judge Prashant Sharma allowed their applications seeking permission to travel abroad and directed the release of their passports. The court observed that the right to travel abroad is an extension of a fundamental right guaranteed under the Constitution of India.
Court Directs Accused to Return Within One Month
Matthew Aaron Vandyke can travel to the USA with the court’s permission, while Hurba Petro, Slyviak Taras, Ivan Sukmanovskyi, Stefankiv Marian, Honcharuk Maksim alias Maksym and Kaminskyi Viktor can go to Ukraine.
The permission is valid for one month but will be calculated from the date each accused boards their respective flight. The court has specifically directed all seven accused to return to India after the permitted period expires.
They have also been ordered to inform the court about their return within 72 hours. The court also directed them to make relevant personal and contact details available within 24 hours as part of the conditions attached to the permission.
Accused must remain available to NIA
While the accused are allowed to travel abroad, the court has imposed conditions on them to remain at least in contact with the National Investigation Agency during their stay.
The seven accused have said they are willing to cooperate with the ongoing investigation whenever needed. The court ordered that they join the investigation either through video conferencing or physically, depending on the NIA’s requirements.
They were also ordered to provide their residential addresses, working mobile phone numbers and email addresses to the investigating agency within 24 hours. If an accused does not have a working mobile number, the court has allowed them to provide the number of a family member.
After they reach their respective destinations, the accused must give their working phone numbers to the NIA within one week.
Such conditions are to ensure that the accused remain accessible to investigators while they are outside India.
Passports released after court permission
The court also ordered the release of the passports of all seven accused to enable them to travel to their respective countries.
The permission is for the family visit for one month and is subject to the conditions laid down by the court. When the authorised period expires, the accused is to return to India.
The court’s order comes as the NIA’s investigation into the Myanmar training camp case continues. The agency said in its hearing that the investigation is still ongoing but said the presence of the seven accused is not needed at this stage.
The NIA also indicated that appropriate undertakings could be obtained from the accused to ensure their compliance with the court's directions.
#WATCH | Delhi: Myanmar Training Camp case | Two foreign nationals from Ukraine and the US were released from Tihar Jail.
— ANI (@ANI) September 24, 2026
The special NIA court at Rouse Avenue has granted permission to US National Matthew Aaron Vandyke and 6 Ukrainian nationals to travel to the USA and Ukraine… pic.twitter.com/D7BVx2faKC
All Seven Foreign Nationals granted Default Bail
The court has also granted default bail to all seven foreign nationals. They will be released from Tihar Jail following court proceedings on Thursday, subject to completion of the required formalities.
The result of which would allow the accused to leave custody and travel abroad under the conditions imposed by the court.
Special Public Prosecutor Rahul Tyagi represented the NIA in the hearing along with advocate Amit Rohila. The agency maintained that the investigation was continuing but did not require the immediate physical presence of the accused.
The court has therefore allowed the accused to visit their families while the investigation is ongoing and there are conditions on their cooperation.
Vandyke Seeks Discharge From Immigration-Related Charges
Matthew Aaron Vandyke’s lawyers also made an application in the court seeking his discharge from offences under the Immigration and Foreigners Act.
Rohit Dandriyal and Rohit Gour were the lawyers for Vandyke. His lawyers referred to the compounding of the relevant matter on September 18 and sought appropriate relief from the related offences.
The court allowed the application.
The development is a separate part of the proceedings involving Vandyke, while the investigation into the Myanmar training camp case is ongoing.
What The Court Order means?
The court's order doesn't end the investigation. Instead, it allows the seven accused to go back to their respective countries for a limited period of time but requires them to remain available to the NIA.
Vandyke can travel to the USA, and the six Ukrainian nationals can go to Ukraine. Their travel permission is limited to one month from their respective departure dates, after which they must return to India and notify the court within 72 hours.
The accused also need to continue to cooperate with investigators through physical appearances and video calls if necessary.
With the investigation in progress, the court’s conditions are to balance the accused’s allowed family visit with the need that they are available to the investigating agency. The next step in the Myanmar training camp case will depend on the ongoing NIA investigation and further court hearings.
