The Delhi High Court has asked the Central government to respond to UK-based academic Nitasha Kaul’s petition challenging the ban on her entry into India and cancellation of her OCI status. Kaul claims the move is illegal, arbitrary, and violates her fundamental rights.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Central government on a petition filed by Indian-born British academic Nitasha Kaul, who has challenged the decision to cancel her Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card and blacklist her from entering India.
The matter was heard by Justice Sachin Datta, who also issued notice on her application seeking temporary permission to visit India for three weeks to take care of her elderly and unwell mother.
The case has now been listed for further hearing on January 22.
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Nitasha Kaul, who belongs to the Kashmiri Pandit community, is a well-known academic and currently serves as a Professor of International Relations at the University of Westminster in the United Kingdom.
She completed her undergraduate studies in economics from Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), Delhi University, and later earned a joint PhD in Economics and Philosophy from a university in the UK.
Over the years, she has written several articles and books on Kashmir, nationalism, and Hindutva politics. After the abrogation of Article 370, she also gave testimony before the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs on the human rights situation in Kashmir.
As per media reports, in February 2024, Nitasha Kaul had come to India after being invited by the Karnataka government to participate in a conference titled “Constitution and National Unity.”
However, even though she held a valid UK passport and OCI card, she was stopped at Bengaluru airport, detained for nearly 24 hours in a cell, and eventually deported.
Later, in May 2025, the Central government officially cancelled her OCI status. The cancellation letter accused her of being involved in “anti-India” activities and claimed that her speeches and writings were against India’s sovereignty and national interest.
In response, Kaul approached the Delhi High Court stating that the government’s actions were unfair, illegal, and not supported by any proper evidence. She has argued that both the blacklisting order and cancellation of her OCI card have no legal or factual basis.
“She has been repeatedly targeted for her critical academic writings and public engagement, without being provided with specific allegations or evidence warranting such actions, and has further been subjected to summary and non-speaking orders by the Respondents [government],”
The petition further states that the actions of the Central government go against the basic principles of natural justice and violate her constitutional as well as statutory rights.
“The Petitioner is being prevented from visiting her elderly mother, aged 72 years, who resides in New Delhi and has longstanding health issues as a survivor of an auto-immune condition and having undergone two heart surgeries, disabling her from undertaking long travel; and other family members, by virtue of the illegal actions taken against her by the Respondents. The Respondents’ actions smack of arbitrariness and high-handedness, reflecting an utter disregard for the Rule of Law in a free and democratic society,”
Kaul has also highlighted that she is being unfairly stopped from meeting her critically ill mother who cannot travel due to serious health problems, making her visit extremely important on humanitarian grounds.
The case is being argued on Kaul’s behalf by Advocate Aadil Singh Boparai. The Delhi High Court will now examine whether the government’s decision to cancel her OCI and restrict her entry into India was lawful and whether she should be allowed to enter the country on a temporary basis while the matter is pending.
This case has drawn attention nationally as it raises serious questions about freedom of expression, treatment of OCI holders, and the limits of governmental power in matters of blacklisting and deportation.
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