YouTube vlogger's wife moves Delhi HC

New Delhi, July 10

YouTube vlogger Karl Edward Rice’s wife has approached the Delhi High Court challenging the Union Government’s alleged “arbitrary and unreasonable” decision to blacklist him and deny visa to enter India.

The petitioner said by virtue of denying visa to her husband, “arbitrarily blacklisted” by the respondents (Centre), she had been deprived of living with him, thereby violating her fundamental right to life and dignity as guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.

The plea, likely to come up for hearing next week, said petitioner Manisha Malik and her husband, popularly known as Karl Rock, were YouTube vloggers and had visited most of India to capture its beauty and contribute to the promotion of tourism. It said the authorities had not communicated the grounds of blacklisting Rice, despite several representations, leading to the separation of the married couple.

Terming the Centre’s move an arbitrary abuse of power, the plea said it violated the petitioner’s rights under Article 19 (protection of certain rights regarding freedom of speech) of the Constitution.

Union Home Ministry officials had on Friday said the New Zealand national had been restricted from entering India till next year for violating terms and conditions of his visa. He was found to be doing business activities on a tourist visa and also violating other visa conditions, they had said without specifying.

The plea said since their marriage in 2019, the couple had been living in Delhi and Rice had not been able to return to India from New Zealand since October 10 last year. PTI