Justice Prathiba M Singh of the Delhi excessive courtroom was listening to Singh’s plea towards the Union authorities’s refusal to allow his entry to India. Singh was deported from Delhi to New York in August 2022.

Union authorities’s counsel, Anurag Ahluwalia, informed the courtroom that Singh is a “blacklisted topic” as he had allegedly violated Part 11A of the Foreigners Order, 1948. The actual provision prohibits a foreigner from producing any image, movie or documentary with out permission in writing from the Union authorities.

Singh moved the courtroom towards the Union authorities’s choice to disclaim entry to him to India. He mentioned the federal government transfer was “unlawful” and violated Articles 14, 21 and 25 of the Indian structure, and that he was an OCI card holder. He added that his OCI card was issued to him in March 2007 and was renewed in August 2018.

In response to Singh’s counsel, Swati Sukumar, OCI cardholders get pleasure from all rights granted underneath the Indian structure, barring sure rights talked about underneath Part 7 B (2) of the Citizenship Act. She additionally argued that underneath Part 7D of the Act, OCI playing cards can’t be cancelled on any grounds, as offered therein.

Sukumar significantly relied on the proviso to the part which holds that an OCI cardholder must be given an inexpensive alternative to be heard earlier than an order is handed for the cancellation of their card. She additional mentioned no causes had been communicated to Singh on why he was refused a particular allow for the manufacturing of a meals present in August 2022.

She additionally went on to argue that her shopper’s OCI card was “nonetheless legitimate” and that he was claimed to have been blacklisted by respondents however his OCI card had not been cancelled but.

In the meantime, the federal government’s affidavit mentioned Singh had “misrepresented information within the visa software for acquiring a journalistic visa in 2020 and had revealed a documentary titled India Burning, which depicted India in a destructive method”.

The federal government’s counsel, Anurag Ahluwalia, mentioned Singh was blacklisted as a result of he had allegedly violated Clause 11A of the Foreigners Order, 1948, which states that “no foreigner can produce a movie for public exhibition with out permission in writing from the central authorities”. Subsequently, he was blacklisted regardless of being an OCI cardholder, Ahluwalia added.

The courtroom listed the matter to be heard on February 28, after Ahluwali sought two weeks’ time to acquire info on “whether or not any showcause discover or proceedings had been commenced” towards Singh for the cancellation of his Abroad Citizen of India (OCI) card.