SRINAGAR: Amid the ongoing deportation of Pakistani nationals following the Pahalgam terror attack, the Supreme Court has stayed the deportation of a family of six living in Kashmir. The family, facing removal for alleged visa overstay, was granted relief after Ahmed Tariq Butt, an Indian passport holder and Accenture employee filed a plea.
Butt claimed that his family had been taken to the Wagah border despite holding valid Indian identity documents, including Aadhaar and passports. The court, led by Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh, observed a ‘human angle’ in the matter and directed authorities to verify their identity documents before taking further action.
The bench said no coercive steps should be taken until the verification process is complete. The court clarified that the order should not be treated as a precedent and the petitioners may approach the J&K&L High Court if dissatisfied with the final outcome.
Advocate Nanda Kishore, representing the family, told the court they were “bundled into a jeep” and nearly deported despite their documents. During the hearing, the court questioned how the father entered India. The counsel stated he arrived on a valid visa in 1987 and surrendered his Pakistani passport.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that the proper course was for the petitioners to approach the authorities to verify their claims.
