HC units apart MHA communication denying journalist Varadarajan’s request to transform his PIO card into OCI card | India Information
3 min learnNew DelhiCould 12, 2026 09:41 PM IST
Noting that “causes are coronary heart and soul” in an order, the Delhi Excessive Court docket on Tuesday put aside a communication by the Ministry of Dwelling Affairs by which journalist Siddharth Varadarajan’s request to transform his Individual of Indian Origin (PIO) card to Abroad Citizen of India (OCI) card was turned down.
Addressing the authorities, Justice Purushaindra Kaurav, noting that no causes had been assigned for denying Varadarajan’s request, remarked, “What is that this? Can this order be sustained?…This order can’t be sustained, you’ll should rethink the petitioner’s entitlements by means of some talking order (reasoned order). Let me put aside this order, I’ll grant you liberty to rethink it, and go a talking order.”
The HC mentioned, “Thereafter, the petitioner can take some treatment; in any other case, he can not even problem this order. What is going to the appellate authority do or adjudicate except there are some causes given?”
Recording within the order that “there are not any causes assigned within the impugned communication as to why the appliance couldn’t be thought of favourably”, and that “except respondents assign the explanation, the appellate courtroom might not have the ability to admire the veracity thereto,” the courtroom put aside the April 2 communication, including that the “causes are coronary heart and soul” in an order.
Whereas Varadarajan, who is among the founding editors of digital information platform The Wire, had utilized for conversion of his PIO card to OCI card in 2022, the MHA, after preserving the appliance pending for greater than 4 years, refused it in a one-line electronic mail on April 2 with out ascribing any causes for the denial.
Varadarajan, an American citizen with roots in India and dwelling repeatedly right here since 1995, was issued a PIO card in October 2002.
In 2015, following a notification beneath the provisions of the Citizenship Act, 1955, all current PIO cardholders stood deemed to be OCI cardholders by operation of legislation. Varadarajan had then utilized for bodily conversion of his PIO card into OCI documentation, after his current card stopped being machine readable, earlier than FRRO (Foreigners Regional Registration Workplace) in New Delhi in January 2022.
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Within the electronic mail rejecting his request, the authorities had additional informed Varadarajan “to avail applicable visa companies from authority for keep and journey because the PIO card is just not legitimate for keep and journey wef 01.01.2026.”
The courtroom mentioned that Varadarajan’s earlier 2022 utility, in search of conversion of PIO to OCI, stands restored, and that the identical be reconsidered and an order on this regard be handed by the authorities.
In the meantime, the courtroom stored Varadarajan’s utility, in search of permission to journey to Estonia for a convention scheduled from Could 15 to 17, pending. Issuing discover to the authorities, the courtroom will hear the matter on Wednesday.
