India’s Gujarat HC allows Pakistani youth to return home

AHMEDABAD: In a relief to a 28-year-old Pakistani citizen, stuck in Surat since 2016 following his arrest in a fake currency case, the Gujarat High Court on Monday granted him permission to leave the country.

The court while disposing of a petition moved by Pakistan High Commission issued direction to concerned authorities to complete the formality and allow him to travel back home.The division bench of justices Sonia Gokani and NV Anjaria passed the order directing the Surat Railway and Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) to issue a no-objection certificate and exit permit respectively to Sajjad Vora that will enable him to leave India.

“The petition of Pakistan High commission is disposed by directing the DSP (District Superintendent of Police) Surat Railway to issue the NOC to Sajjad by 29 August to travel to his country and further direction is passed to Foreigners Regional Registration Office to issue the exit permit and waive all leviable fees of overstay etc within a period of 7 days from date of NOC. The original visa permit and exit permits to be given to the corpus (petitioner) and he is allowed to go back to his country the way he pleases,” Bhatt said.

Initially, Sajjad had moved a petition through advocate Aum Kotwal seeking permission to travel back home to Karachi and, later, Pakistan High Commission filed a habeas corpus petition through lawyer Jeet Bhatt to seek Sajjad’s custody.

In November 2016, Sajjad, belonging to Dawoodi Bohra community, had arrived in Surat to participate in religious functions. In December, he was arrested by Surat Railway Police with fake currencies. He was tried by a sessions court which acquitted him in August 2018. The state government challenged the order in the high court which also passed an order in July 2019 upholding the lower court’s order.

Sajjad made representations to local police and FRRO requesting for an exit permit to no avail. Sajjad himself approached the high court seeking permission to be allowed to go back home. Later, the commission also filed a separate petition. The state government had responded that since it was to file an appeal in Supreme Court against Sajjad’s acquittal. During the pendency of the petition, the government moved the apex court which on July 15 rejected the appeal and confirmed Sajjad’s acquittal.