Rajasthan HC stops deportation of Pakistani Hindu migrants

The Rajasthan High Court on Friday restrained the Central and the state governments from deporting Pakistani Hindus forcibly for security purposes, without having special reasons.

A division bench headed by Justice Govind Mathur on Friday, while hearing a suo moto petition, directed that no Pakistan migrant belonging to minority community would be deported if they have applied for a long-term visa.

The court said if deportation is necessary for security reasons, this has to be brought to the notice of the court immediately.

Posting the matter for September 12, the court also sought a progress report in regard to the pending citizenship cases of migrants from Pakistan belonging to minority communities there.

"The High Court has issued as many as seven directions to the government authorities. We have also been asked to suggest the names of two persons having effective knowledge of the entire issue to the Collector to execute all the directions of the court effectively," Sajjan Singh Rathore, one of the amici curiae, told IANS.

Rathore said the names have to be given to the Collector by Saturday and the Collector is directed to consult and have suggestions from the persons nominated.

Besides this, the court has also ordered the Collector to submit a time-bound programme on or before September 11 in regard to granting long-term visas and the citizenship of India to eligible Pakistani national Hindus.

The division bench of Justice Mathur and Justice Vinit Kumar Mathur also felt a dire need for basic amenities and cleanliness at the camps of Pakistani migrants and issued detailed directions regarding it.

The court also directed to invite applications from the Pakistani migrants for their ration cards and to deal with it in ten days.

The High Court had taken suo-moto cognizance a few days back of a news item published in a local newspaper regarding the pathetic situation of Pakistani minorities in India.

--IANS

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