Sweden-based NRI professor moves Delhi HC against cancellation of his OCI card

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New Delhi, December 8

The Delhi High court on Thursday asked the Centre to respond to a petition filed by Sweden-based Professor of Indian-origin Ashok Swain against the government’s decision to cancel his Overseas Citizen of India card (OCI) card.

Justice Prathiba M Singh issued notice to the Centre on the petition filed by Swain, a professor of peace and conflict research at Uppsala University, Sweden.

Asking the Centre to respond to Swain’s petition in four weeks, the HC posted the matter for further hearing in February 2023.

Swain said pursuant to a show-cause notice issued in 2020, his OIC card was arbitrarily barred in February 2022 on the allegations that he was indulging in inflammatory speeches and anti-India activities.

He maintained that he didn’t make any inflammatory speech. There was no specific incident or material to suggest that he indulged in any anti-India Activities.

As a professor, his role was to discuss policies of the government through his work, he submitted. Being a critique of certain policies of the current government shall not be tantamount to anti-India activities under the Citizenship Act, 1955, he contended.