To allow a Pakistani to return to his native place: India’s high court reserves verdict on Pak’s plea

AHMEDABAD, India: The Gujarat high court on Friday concluded hearing and reserved its judgment till August 14 on a habeas corpus petition filed by the Pakistan High Commission to allow a Pakistani national, Sajjad Vora (28), to return to his native place Karachi, foreign media reported.

The bench of Justice Sonia Gokani and Justice N V Anjaria said that they would pass the order depending on development that takes place in the Supreme Court on an appeal filed by the Gujarat government against Vora’s acquittal in a fake currency case in Surat.

The court heard Vora during the proceedings through video conferencing and he said that he wanted to return home because his widowed mother is worried due to Covid-19 situation, said his advocate Aum Kotwal.

Meanwhile, Pakistan High Commission’s advocates Shilpi Jain and Jeet Bhatt submitted arguments in support of the petition which demands that Vora, being a Pakistani national, should be allowed to return after his acquittal in a criminal case. It has alleged that Indian authorities have illegally detained Vora in this country and for this it has sought compensation of Rs20 lakh from India for the Pakistani citizen.

Meanwhile, Vora’s petition is likely to come up for hearing on August 7. In this petition, he has sought HC directions to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), Mumbai, to grant him exit permit so that he can go back to Pakistan. His passport expired in 2017, while he was facing prosecution for counterfeiting. The FRRO was insisting on an NOC from Surat police because the prosecution against him was initiated after his arrest from the Surat police station.