Supreme Court Steps In to Protect Family Facing Deportation to Pakistan
Supreme Court Intervenes in Deportation Case
New Delhi: On Friday, the Supreme Court intervened on behalf of a family facing deportation to Pakistan, asserting their claim of holding Indian citizenship through valid passports and Aadhaar cards.
In light of a recent terrorist incident in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, the Union government has annulled all valid visas for Pakistani nationals effective April 27, instructing immediate removal of such individuals from all states and Union Territories.
The family, who filed a writ petition with the Supreme Court, stated they were Indian citizens residing in Mirpur until 1997 before relocating to Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir.
They received a notice from the Foreign Registration Office (FRO) in Srinagar on April 25, demanding their departure from India due to the expiration of their visa, alleging they were Pakistani nationals.
The lead petitioner, an MBA graduate from IIM Kerala currently employed in Bengaluru, reported that his family members, including his parents and sisters, were unlawfully detained by Jammu and Kashmir Police on April 29 around 9 PM.
According to the petition, the family was taken to the India-Pakistan border on April 30 at approximately 12:20 PM, where they are being coerced to leave India.
In a temporary relief measure, a Bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and NK Singh ruled that no forceful actions should be taken against the petitioners until their documents are verified.
"Given that the factual claims necessitate verification, including the authenticity of documents, we are disposing of this writ petition at this stage without commenting on the merits, directing authorities to verify the documents and any pertinent facts presented to them," stated the Justice Kant-led Bench.
"An appropriate decision should be made promptly, although we are not specifying a timeline," the court added.
The Supreme Court also clarified that this ruling should not set a precedent for other deportation cases.