Bombay high court stays deportation of Pakistani man

MUMBAI: The vacation bench of the Bombay high court on Wednesday stayed the deportation of Pakistani national Siraj Khan, who had entered India on the Samjhauta Express when he was 11 years old nearly two decades ago.
Justices S V Gupte and K R Shriram granted Siraj urgent interim protection till June 9. He will continue to remain in the custody of the RAK Marg police, where he has been for about a month, the bench said.The deportation process was scheduled for June 5.
On June 9, when the regular work resumes in the HC, a plea filed by Sajida, Siraj’s Indian-born wife, will be heard for further orders on merit.
When Sajida’s lawyer Yousuf Khan explained to her that Siraj, now 30, will remain in India till next week, she was relieved. Her focus, she said, was on taking care of her nine-year-old daughter and four-year-old twin sons by working as a maid as her husband was in jail since January. Siraj, who lived in Antop Hill with his family, worked for a “caterer” earning Rs 200-700 a day.
The petition, filed by Sajida with the help of advocate Anjali Awasthi and activist Imraan Khan, cited the fundamental right to life as a guarantee for the wife and children to be maintained properly.
Parag Vyas, counsel for the authorities, did not oppose the grant of the urgent interim relief to Siraj as the matter would be argued at length when the court reopens in a few days.