Delhi HC: More Time To Centre To File Reply On Barring Professor Swain’s OCI Card

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday grants 4 weeks’ time to the Centre to file response on a plea filed by Sweden-based Professor of Indian origin, Ashok Swain. The matter listed for the next hearing on April 27 opposing to barring off his Overseas Citizen of India card (OCI Card).

The Delhi Court granted more time to file its reply after the counsel for the Central Government.
A single judge bench of Justice Prathiba M. Singh had asked the centre on December 8 to respond in the time of 4 weeks and posted the matter on Tuesday for hearing. Swain is the member in the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at Sweden’s Uppsala University.

Swain has mentioned in the plea that his OCI card got cancelled in February, 2022 where he condemns the present Indian Government. He therefore states that he hasn’t conveyed any kind of inflammatory speech. An OCI Card issued to foreign national of the Indian origin, who’s allowed to work & live in India for a long period of time.

Swain argued that his card got cancelled on the alleged ground where he was involved in the inflammatory speeches & the anti-India activities. However, there weren’t any specific instances/materials to prove the same.

Swain’s petitioner read that, “It’s been submitted that the petitioner has nevermore engaged in any kind of inflammatory speeches/Anti-India activities. Being a scholar it’s his role to discuss & criticise the government policies through his work”.

It added “Being an Academician, he analyses and criticises certain policies of the present government, mere criticism of the policies of the current ruling dispensation shall not tantamount to anti-India activities under Section 7D(e) of the Citizenship Act, 1955.”

“Being an Academician, Swain criticises & analysis several policies of the current government, the criticism of the current policies dispensation shall not tantamount to the activities of Anti-Indian under Section 7D(e) of the Citizenship Act, 1955,” it added.