Delhi HC seeks Centre's stand on plea of Moin Qureshi's daughter for OCI card

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought the Centre's response on the plea of controversial meat exporter Moin Qureshi's daughter for grant of an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card.

Justice Vibhu Bakhru, while issuing notice to the ministries of home affairs and external affairs and the Foreigner Regional Registration Office (FRRO), said that Qureshi's daughter appeared to be entitled for an OCI card according to the provisions of the Citizenship Act.

Pernia Qureshi, who is a US citizen, has contended in her plea that she had applied for an OCI card in 2017 after the Indian government in January 2015 had issued a notification which said that all existing PIO card holders shall be deemed to OCI card holders.

She has said in the petition that she was a Person of Indian Origin (PIO) card holder since 2008 and that it was valid till 2023.

However, when she came to India this year, immigration officers advised her to get an OCI card before March 31, 2019 as she would not be allowed to enter the country on the basis of her PIO card after that, the petition said and added that she had sent an email to FRRO to help her but has not received any response.

Central government standing counsel Anurag Ahluwalia, who appeared for the ministries, told the court that the petitioner was a Pakistani citizen prior to becoming a US citizen and therefore, according to the Citizenship Act she was ineligible for an OCI card.

The court, however, disagreed with the submission, saying that she cannot be denied an OCI card by an executive decision when there was no such bar under the legislation.

It asked the Ahluwalia to file an affidavit indicating the government's stand on the issue and listed the matter for further hearing on March 15.

Pernia's farther, Moin Qureshi, is facing prosecution in various cases lodged against him by the CBI, ED and the Income Tax department.