Indian Court Asks Govt About Visa Criteria Over U.S. Woman’s Deportation Plea

An Indian high court asked the central government about the various criteria as well as the number of activities permitted to be conducted by an individual who holds a business visa. The Delhi High Court was seeking to know the specifics while it was hearing a plea of a woman entrepreneur from the United States who was deported to America on Jan. 5 this year.

Kasha Elizabeth Vande, a 48-year-old entrepreneur from the United States, was subsequently denied entry to India. She was also blacklisted, following her deportation, after staying in India for over 10 years. Vande had earlier challenged her deportation to the United States in her main petition, along with the denial of entry in India although she had a valid business visa, PTI reported.

Justice Rajiv Shakdher also asked for the response of the central government on another plea filed by Vande who is looking to get an interim relief to get permitted into India while her main petition is pending.

The lawyers representing Vande, Shoumendu Mukherji and Raghav Awasthi, said that she should be granted an interim relief so she can enter New Delhi as she has an urgent business in India that she needs to attend, the report added. Vande was an organizer of a photo exhibition “PondyPHOTO” that is going to be held in Puducherry this year.

However, the counsel representing the central government, Aseem Sood, said that Vande should first state a fresh premise for seeking the interim relief. Sood claimed that she was running an NGO in India, which is barred under the visa norms.

Vande’s lawyers argued that the exhibition has been a very popular event across the globe, attracting many artists and getting good sponsorship, and that the Puducherry government was one of the partners at the event. This has had a positive impact on tourism as well as the economy of Puducherry.

The matter will be heard further on May 22. Vande had filed a plea in January this year, challenging her detention at the Chennai airport when she returned from the United States. She was already deported by the time the matter reached the court, according to the report.

The Delhi High Court ordered the Center earlier this month to notify Vande the reasons for her blacklisting and denial of entry into India within a span of five days.

The Center in its defense earlier told the court that Vande was sent back to the United States because she was running an NGO and not a business. She was granted a visa valid till 2027 for setting up and running a business in India, Times Now reported.

According to Vande’s plea, she was running a cafe and a boutique called “Kasha ki Asha” in Puducherry.