The Delhi High Court has recalled its order that quashed the central government’s decision to deny an OCI card to The Wire’s Siddharth Varadarajan, Bar and Bench reported.

The court on Thursday pulled up the journalist for allegedly “suppressing” an Allahabad High Court order which restrained him from leaving the country without permission. It issued a notice to Varadarajan and sought an explanation within a week. “This will entail very serious consequences,” the court said, according to Bar and Bench.

It was hearing Varadarajan’s plea to travel abroad. 

Varadarajan, who is one of the founding editors of The Wire, had applied for conversion of his Person of Indian Origin (PIO) card to Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card in 2022. After keeping the application pending for more than four years, the Ministry of Home Affairs had refused it in a one-line email on April 2 without ascribing any reasons for the denial.

On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court set aside the MHA’s communication that turned down Varadarajan’s request. It noted that “there are no reasons assigned in the impugned communication as to why the application could not be considered favourably”. 

However, it had kept Varadarajan’s application, seeking permission to travel to Estonia for a conference scheduled from May 15 to 17, pending.

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