Yemeni’s plea on deportation: Delhi HC seeks MHA response

New Delhi: Hearing a plea of Yemini student against his deportation, the Delhi HC issued a notice the Centre seeking its response. The student claims that deportation would pose a threat to his life.

The single judge bench of Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva issued notice to the ministry of home affairs and sought its reply on the student’s plea by January 30 after additional solicitor general Sanjay Jain gave an oral assurance that no action would be taken without first informing the court and the petitioner.

Mr Jain, assisted by Central government counsel Rajesh Gogna, told the court that the petitioner’s application for extension of his visa is under consideration and any decision that is taken will be communicated to the court and the petitioner before the next date of hearing on January 30.

The petitioner, who claims to be a Sunni Arab, has said he had a valid visa till October 31, 2016, and under the garb of extending it, he has been kept at the detention centre at Lampur Sewa Sadan in the capital.

“No reason was ever given to the petitioner for his impending deportation or his detention,” the plea filed through advocate Gunjan Singh said.

The Yemeni national has said he arrived in India in 2013 for studies and has done a post-graduate course in commerce from Pune University.

His lawyer told the court that the petitioner has been given “refugee” status by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and should not be deported.

According to the petitioner, the Sunni Arab community is targeted by Houthi rebels and other non-state actors such as al-Qaeda and the government there.