Supreme Court Grants Relief to PoK-Born Man, Halts Deportation

New Delhi: Amid diplomatic tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad, the Supreme Court has given a major decision while hearing the petition of a person born in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). The deportation process of Ahmed Tariq Butt, who lives in Bangalore, and six members of his family has been put on hold for the time being. The petitioner claims that his family has valid passports and Aadhaar cards of India, yet they are being forcibly sent to Pakistan.

This decision has come at a time when relations between India and Pakistan have become more tense after the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. 26 people lost their lives in this attack, most of whom were tourists. After this, the central government issued an order on April 25 and cancelled the visas of most Pakistani citizens.

Supreme Court gave strict instructions to the center

A bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice N. Kotishwar Singh has asked the central government not to take any coercive or deportation action against the petitioner until the verification of the validity of his documents is completed. While granting relief to the petitioner on humanitarian grounds, the court also said that if the petitioner is dissatisfied with the document verification process, he can approach the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.

The family has Indian documents

In the petition, Ahmed Tariq Butt and his family claimed that they have valid Indian passports and Aadhar cards. Despite this, they were detained and taken to Wagah border and an attempt was made to deport them to Pakistan. After this case came to light, the Supreme Court has now banned deportation and has given instructions to check the documents.

Order to cancel visas of citizens

The central government had issued an order on April 25 cancelling all valid visas of Pakistani citizens with immediate effect. The order said that all valid visas issued by the Government of India will be invalid from April 27, 2025. Only medical visas will remain valid till April 29, 2025. It will be mandatory for all Pakistani citizens to leave India as per the revised deadline.

What did the Supreme Court say?

"This is a sensitive and humanitarian matter. Until the validity of the documents is decided, no family member should be sent to Pakistan," Supreme Court

Growing tensions and legal intervention

After the Pahalgam attack, the central government has shown strictness in matters related to Pakistan. Amidst these developments, this decision of the Supreme Court is considered to give priority to the humanitarian approach. It is clear from the court's order that in serious matters like citizenship, no one can be deported without investigation.