M A I N   N E W S

HC stays deportation of 151 Pak Hindus
Seeks Centre’s response on their asylum plea
R Sedhuraman
Legal Correspondent

File photo of the Pakistani Hindus at a Delhi camp.

New Delhi, December 21
The Delhi High Court today stayed the deportation of 151 Pakistani Hindus who have sought Indian citizenship, or at least asylum, on the ground that being minorities they were facing threat to their lives back home.

Acting Chief Justice AK Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai also issued notice to the ministries of external and home affairs, seeking their response by February 29, 2012 to the PIL filed by them.

The Pakistani nationals came to India on September 7 on pilgrimage visas, but do not want to go back. “Our lives are in grave danger in Pakistan,” they pleaded in the PIL filed by Rakesh Ranjan, General Secretary of the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha. At present, all of them are staying in Delhi.

Arguing for the Mahasabha, senior advocate Bhim Singh said the pilgrims were in danger of being deported to Pakistan, as the authorities had not responded to their pleas for either asylum or full-fledged Indian citizenship.

After hearing the arguments, the high court stayed their deportation until the disposal of their petition. The Hindus have also submitted memoranda to the President, the Prime Minister and the National Human Rights Commission, pleading that they be allowed to stay back in India.

A total of 152 Hindus had come from Pakistan but one of them died here.

‘our lives are in danger’