New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday (May 2) granted interim protection to a six-member family facing deportation to Pakistan after Indian government’s decision to suspend visa services of all Pakistani nationals following April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 persons lost their lives.
A bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice N Kotiswar Singh asked authorities not to take any coercive action against them till verification of their identity documents by the authorities.
Detained and taken to the Wagah border for deportation to Pakistan despite having valid Indian identity documents: Family
The six-member family, residents of Kashmir, approached the Supreme Court submitting all the family members have India documents, such as Aadhaar cards, PAN cards and voter ID, and claimed that they were detained by the authorities and taken to the Wagah border for deportation to Pakistan despite having valid Indian identity documents.
One of the family members had Pakistani roots but he surrendered his Pakistani passport long back, apex court was told
The counsel representing the petitioner family, comprising of a married couple and their four children, told the bench during the hearing that one of the family members had Pakistani roots as he was born there in Pakistan but he had surrendered his Pakistani passport long back.
The bench noted that following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, the Indian government through a notification dated April 25 has revoked the visa of Pakistani nationals except for those provided in the order itself and gave a specific timeline for their deportation.
There are issues which needs to be verified: Apex Court
The bench said that besides the human angle, there are issues which needs to be verified and directed the authorities to not take coercive action such as deportation to Pakistan till an order on vderification of their identity documents. It also directed the authorities to verify their identity documents and take a decision at the earlies.
The bench also granted liberty to the six-member family to approach the Jammu and Kashmir High Court if they are aggrieved by the document verification order. It also made clear that this order should not be treated as a precedent as it has been passed in peculiar facts and circumstances of this case.
