Centre removes 312 Sikh foreign nationals from Adverse List

The central government has removed 312 Sikh foreign nationals from its 'Adverse List'.

The 314-strong list only has two names now after the government's review, according to Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) sources.

The individuals will now have the opportunity to visit India, meet their family members and reconnect to their roots after the government's decision.

"During 1980s, many Sikh Indian nationals and foreign nationals belonging to the Sikh community fell to anti-India propaganda. Some Sikh Indian nationals fled India to escape Indian authorities, became foreign nationals and took asylum outside India. They were placed in the Adverse List till 2016, making them ineligible to avail visa services to visit India," the sources added.

The practice of maintenance of local adverse lists by Indian missions abroad has also been discontinued.

All Indian missions abroad have also been advised to grant an appropriate visa to all categories of asylees and derivative asylees (family members) whose names do not figure in the Central Adverse List, in line with the procedure followed for other categories of applicants of that nationality.

All categories of asylees who become eligible for issuance of long-term Indian visa will also be eligible to apply for registration as Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholder after they have applied for and held normal visas for a period of two years.