Delhi HC’s big decision: Ukrainian citizen gets relief even after visa expiry
2 min read
New Delhi (Team Newsbuddy) :The Delhi High Court has given a major relief to a Ukrainian citizen who was stuck in India due to visa expiry. The case was heard by the bench of Justice Sachin Dutta.
Ahlaia Nohina, a Ukrainian citizen, temporarily resides in Germany due to the Russia-Ukraine war. She came to India to learn yoga and spirituality and has been staying on a tourist visa since December. Her visa expired on 6 January 2025.
She applied for an exit permit with the FRRO Chennai, but the process was delayed and she was not allowed to board her return flight at Delhi’s IGI airport. The reason for the dispute was a ‘Form C’, which is required as the final proof of residence of the applicant.
On January 9, Ahlaia stayed at the Ukrainian Embassy in Delhi for the whole day but did not get any relief. When this information came to the notice of three lawyers from Delhi (Vivek Tiwari, Aditya Trivedi, Subhi Pastor), they decided to knock on the doors of Delhi High Court. On January 10, these three lawyers put the matter before the Chief Justice. The case was heard by Justice Sachin Dutta on January 13 for an early hearing and in the very first hearing, the respondents, including Home Ministry, Bureau of Immigration and FRRO were directed to help the petitioner.
The Court directed the FRRO Delhi to process Alahiya Nohina’s request for exit permit with a new Form-C and grant her exit permission without penalty. On the second day of hearing, January 14, the court gave final order and allowed the petitioner to apply for exit permit within 48 hours. Additionally, she was given 72 hours after getting the exit permit to travel from India to Germany.
This case reminds us of the great tradition of Indian culture in which we welcome and help foreign guests. This case reminds us of the great ideals of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ and ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’, which inspire us to promote a feeling of sympathy and cooperation towards foreign guests.
A special mention to our young lawyers from Delhi, Vivek Tiwari, Aditya Trivedi, Subhi Pastor, from the law firm Analogue Legal.
