Overview
- Justice Sachin Datta issued notice to the Home and External Affairs ministries, the Indian Embassy in Sweden and Latvia, and the Bureau of Immigration, seeking replies within three weeks.
- Swain’s petition contests an undisclosed blacklisting order that he says was issued without reasons or a hearing, and he asks to be allowed entry on his OCI card.
- The government previously told the court he was blacklisted for alleged anti-India writings and inflammatory speeches said to harm the country’s image internationally.
- The Delhi High Court has twice set aside orders canceling his OCI status, while the embassy canceled his OCI again on February 8, 2024 under Section 7D(e) of the Citizenship Act.
- He also cites humanitarian grounds, telling the court he has not been able to visit his ailing elderly mother in India for years.