Uttarakhand HC stays deportation of Pakistani Sikh family, seeks joint govt response

A Pakistani Sikh family residing in Dehradun on a long-term visa has received temporary relief from the Uttarakhand High Court, which directed authorities not to deport them unless they are found to pose a risk to national security. The court has asked the Centre and the state government to jointly examine the matter and submit their response before the next hearing on June 15.

The matter came before a single bench of Justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari, which was hearing a petition challenging a government directive that instructed the family, living in Dehradun's Vasant Vihar since 2019, to leave India within 24 hours.

During proceedings on Thursday, the court directed both the central and state governments to take a considered decision on the issue and place their reply on record before the next date of hearing.

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The family has been in India since 2019

The petitioner, Manjit Singh, 55, is from Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region and works as a supplier of polishing materials in Dehradun.

His counsel, Vikas Kumar Guglani, told TOI that Singh arrived in India with his family in 2019 on a long-term visa and had subsequently extended its validity until December 10, 2026.

Notice challenged in court

According to the petition, the state government issued Singh a notice on May 15 directing him to leave the country within 24 hours. He received the notice on June 2 and later moved the High Court challenging the order.

Guglani said, “The notice sent to my client did not state any reason or grounds for asking him to leave the country within 24 hours. It merely mentioned in a single sentence that an email regarding this matter had been received from the Union ministry of home affairs.”

In his petition, Singh argued that his visa remains valid and sought permission for his family to continue residing in India for the duration of the visa.

The plea highlighted that Singh has three children, including an elder daughter pursuing BTech, a second daughter studying BDS and a young son.

Government cites security concerns

During the hearing, the government argued that the headquarters of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is located close to the family's residence, which could raise national security concerns. The government, on that basis, submitted that Singh should be sent back to Pakistan.