New Delhi: With Sweden-based professor Ashok Swain seeking an early hearing of his petition challenging the cancellation of his overseas citizen of India (OCI) status, the Delhi High Court asked the central government if he could be granted a temporary visa.
The Centre had cancelled Swain’s OCI registration on the grounds that he had been found indulging in “illegal activities inimical” to the interests of the sovereignty, integrity, and security of India. The cancellation effectively bars him from entering the country.
Expressing urgency for his petition to be taken up, Swain’s advocate Aadil Boparai, informed Justice Sachin Datta that his 82-year-old mother “may not survive this winter” in view of her health condition and the matter may be taken up next week, the Indian Express reported.
“Exigency is my mother’s health. She is 82 years old…my mother may not survive this winter…please take it up next week…They believe I’m anti-India because I criticise the policies of the current (ruling) dispensation,” the IE quoted the advocate as saying during hearing.
Swain has submitted that his mother lives alone in Odisha’s capital Bhubaneswar and suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure, and various age-related ailments. He has further submitted that owing to the OCI cancellation, he has been unable to meet his mother in the past five years.
The Centre has also accused Swain of “indulging in inflammatory speeches and anti-India activities”.
In his petition, filed in 2023, Swain challenged a July 30, 2023, order from the Indian embassy in Sweden and Latvia that cancelled his OCI registration.
On Monday, while the Centre sought time to respond, Justice Datta orally enquired with Swain’s counsel if he would be amenable to withdrawing his posts on X that the Centre had cited as examples of inflammatory speeches and anti-India activities.
Boparia informed the court that he would take instructions from his client regarding this.
Justice Datta further suggested to the Centre if a temporary visa could be granted to Swain.
The Centre’s counsel also said that instructions would be taken on that matter.
