Delhi High Court quashes Centre's denial of OCI card to The Wire's Siddharth Varadarajan

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday quashed the Central government decision to reject an application by The Wire founding editor Siddharth Varadarajan for an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card.

Varadarajan wanted to get his Person of Indian Origin (PIO) status converted into an OCI, since the PIO scheme no longer exists and has been merged with OCI.

Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav noted that the Central government communication dated April 2, 2026, informing Varadarajan about the rejection of his plea for an OCI card was bereft of any reasons and cannot be sustained. Reasons are the heart and soul of the order, the Bench underscored.

Counsel appearing for the Central government said that they will take instructions in the matter. However, the Bench reiterated that the order was bereft of any reasons and cannot be sustained.

"What instructions? Can this order be sustained? Let me set aside this order. Pass a speaking order. He [Varadarajan] can’t even challenge the order. What will the appellate authority adjudicate?" the Court remarked as it proceeded to quash the order.

The Court will hear tomorrow Varadarajan's plea to travel abroad.

Varadrajan is a US citizen and holds a PIO card. However, all PIO cards expired on December 31, 2025 and are no longer valid for entry into or stay in India. This happened after the government decided to merge the PIO and OCI card schemes.

According to Varadarajan, he applied for an OCI card, but his plea was denied.

Senior Advocate Nitya Ramakrishnan appeared for Varadarajan and stated that his PIO Card is valid till 2032, but since the PIO scheme no longer exists, his card is not readable.

Ramakrishnan added that PIOs are now automatically deemed to be OCIs, but Varadarajan needs a physical card. However, that request was denied on April 2, 2026, the senior advocate said.