‘Cannot let India be maligned abroad’: Delhi HC on Amrit Wilson’s OCI case
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New Delhi: The Delhi High Court observed on Monday that it could not allow the country to be defamed on international platforms while hearing a plea challenging the cancellation of an Overseas Citizen of India card.
The remarks were made during proceedings on a petition filed by UK-based academic Amrit Wilson, whose OCI status was revoked by the Union government in 2023 over alleged anti-India activities, The Wire reported.
The court referred to intelligence inputs indicating her alleged involvement in actions seen as critical of India abroad, and remarked that the country should not display such tolerance that it permits criticism of India on international forums.
After reviewing a sealed cover report submitted by the Union government, Justice Pushpendra Kumar Kaurav indicated that the material before the court went beyond a couple of social media posts and included intelligence agency reports alleging participation in activities described as anti-India.
Wilson, described as a British-Indian journalist, had approached the Delhi High Court in 2023 challenging the cancellation of her OCI card, following which the court issued notice to the government in May that year.
Appearing for Wilson, senior advocate Trideep Pais argued that the show-cause notice served on her lacked specific details. He contended that although the government had initially pointed to two posts on X — one relating to the farmers’ protest and another concerning Kashmir — these were not cited as the formal grounds in the show-cause notice, and maintained that her work could not be characterised as anti-India. He also objected to the submission of material in a sealed envelope, noting that such a practice has been discouraged by the Supreme Court of India.
Representing the Centre, Central Government Standing Counsel Nidhi Raman told the court that all publicly available material relied upon by the government had been shared with Wilson, while inputs from intelligence agencies had been placed before the court in a sealed cover. She further submitted that the matter concerned issues relating to India’s sovereignty and integrity.
The court directed both Wilson and the Union government to file their submissions and scheduled the next hearing for August 27.
