Delhi High Court Recalls Order That Had Quashed OCI Denial to Siddharth Varadarajan

Overview

• The Delhi High Court on Thursday recalled its earlier ruling that set aside the Centre’s rejection of his OCI plea and ordered him to submit an affidavit within a week, warning of serious consequences.
• The judge said he was prima facie guilty of hiding a 2020 Allahabad High Court bail order that required him to surrender his passport and barred travel abroad without court permission.
• Government lawyers said the omission surfaced after the last hearing, and the court restored the case to its original number for arguments later this month.
• Earlier this week the court had struck down the MHA’s one-line April 2 refusal, but that relief is now withdrawn and his request to travel to an Estonia conference remains undecided.
• The dispute traces back to his 2022 bid to convert a Person of Indian Origin card to an Overseas Citizen of India card, which offers long-term visa and residency benefits for people of Indian origin.