The Supreme Court on Friday directed authorities to refrain from taking coercive measures, including deportation to Pakistan, against six family members accused of overstaying their visa, until their identity documents are verified, as reported by news agency PTI.
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The individuals, originally from Kashmir, have a son working in Bengaluru. They are facing possible deportation in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, PTI reported.
Noting the humanitarian aspect of the case, a bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and N. Kotiswar Singh allowed the family to seek relief from the Jammu and Kashmir High Court if they are dissatisfied with the outcome of the identity document verification process, PTI reported.
The Supreme Court was hearing a petition filed by Ahmed Tarek Butt and his five family members, who alleged that they were detained and taken to the Wagah border for deportation to Pakistan, despite holding valid Indian documents.
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The bench observed that, in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, the Centre had issued a notification on April 25 revoking the visas of Pakistani nationals, with certain exceptions mentioned in the order, and had set a specific timeline for their deportation.
Earlier on Wednesday, a total of 125 Pakistani nationals departed India via the Attari-Wagah border, bringing the total number of Pakistanis leaving the country to 911 in the past week. Additionally, 15 Indian citizens holding Pakistani visas also crossed into Pakistan, raising the total number of such exits to 23, PTI reported.
The Supreme Court was hearing a petition filed by Ahmed Tarek Butt and his five family members, who alleged that they were detained and taken to the Wagah border for deportation to Pakistan.
On the other hand, 152 Indian nationals and 73 Pakistani nationals with long-term Indian visas entered India through the same border point in Amritsar, Punjab. This brings the total number of such entries to 1,617 for Indian nationals and 224 for Pakistani nationals.
(With inputs from agencies)