The Supreme Court on Friday restrained authorities from deporting six members of a family allegedly facing removal to Pakistan, directing that no coercive steps be taken against them until their identity documents are verified.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh observed that the matter had a “human angle” and allowed the family to seek recourse before the Jammu and Kashmir High Court in case they are aggrieved by the outcome of the document verification process.
The petition was filed by Ahmed Tarek Butt and five of his family members, residents of Kashmir, whose son currently works in Bengaluru. They claimed they were taken into custody and brought to the Wagah border for deportation despite holding valid Indian documents.
The deportation move comes in the aftermath of the recent Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives. Following the incident, the Centre issued a notification on April 25 revoking visas issued to Pakistani nationals, except for those explicitly exempted in the order, and laid out a timeline for their deportation.
