HC quashes FRRO order blocking Finnish national’s entry into India

Panaji: The Bombay high court quashed and set aside the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO)’s order blacklisting a Finnish national from entering India.Terming the unilateral ban on the entry of the petitioner to India over alleged visa violations as “arbitrary and unreasonable”, the HC quashed and set aside the FRRO’s Nov 20, 2024, order placing the name of the petitioner in blacklist Grade A.

The petitioner, who is married to a man from Pernem, was denied entry when she landed at Mumbai from Turkiye, on Nov 27, 2024.The HC gave petitioner four weeks to approach the FRRO as well as the Bureau of Immigration in Delhi, with directions to both the authorities that her application be expeditiously decided and in accordance with the law, and she be given reasonable time to respond to the allegations of visa violations.A division bench of Justices Bharati Dangre and Ashish Chavan said that the petitioner was not given an opportunity to deal with allegations before taking such a “drastic” and “far reaching” step of blacklisting her.When an individual is categorised as blacklisted under Grade A, as per guidelines of the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA), it is kind of a permanent status and remains under the umbrella of the security agency during that period.

The listing can be renewed only after 10 years.Senior counsel Subhodh Kantak, who appeared on behalf of the petitioner, denied the allegations of visa violations.The FRRO’s decision to black the petitioner, he said, stems from an email complaint.Kantak told the court that the petitioner does not qualify to be blacklisted under Grade A.The condition can be applied, he said, when a foreigner uses forged visa or fraudulently obtains travel documents ,including visa, to enter India, or who has been deported for using forged or fraudulently obtained travel documents, forged visa or without visa.