Delhi High Court seeks Centre's reply to UK academic Nitasha Kaul's plea against ban on entry into India

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Central government on a plea filed by Indian born British academic Nitasha Kaul, challenging the decision to blacklist her from entering India and cancelling her Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) status.

Justice Sachin Datta also issued notice on the interim relief application filed by Kaul to travel to India for three weeks to tend to her aged and ailing mother.

The case will be heard next on January 22.

Kaul, who has Kashmiri Pandit roots, is a professor of International Relations at the University of Westminster. She studied economics at SRCC (Delhi University) and completed a joint PhD in Economics and Philosophy in the UK. She has written extensively on Kashmir, nationalism and Hindutva. After the abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, Kaul testified before the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs about human rights in Kashmir. 

According to news reports, in February 2024, Kaul arrived was invited by the Karnataka government to attend a conference titled Constitution and National Unity. Despite holding a valid UK passport and an OCI card, she was denied entry at Bengaluru airport and deported after being held for about 24 hours in a cell. 

In May 2025, the Indian government revoked her OCI status. The cancellation letter accused her of “anti-India” activities, saying that her writings and speeches targeted India’s sovereignty. 

In her petition, Kaul has argued that the cancellation of her OCI status and the blacklisting order are without any legal or factual basis.

"She has been repeatedly targeted for her critical academic writings and public engagement, without being provided with specific allegations or evidence warranting such actions, and has further been subjected to summary and non-speaking orders by the Respondents [government]," the plea states.

Further, it adds that orders passed by the Central government violate the principles of natural justice and Kaul's constitutional and statutory rights.

"The Petitioner is being prevented from visiting her elderly mother, aged 72 years, who resides in New Delhi and has longstanding health issues as a survivor of an auto-immune condition and having undergone two heart surgeries, disabling her from undertaking long travel; and other family members, by virtue of the illegal actions taken against her by the Respondents. The Respondents’ actions smack of arbitrariness and high-handedness, reflecting an utter disregard for the Rule of Law in a free and democratic society," the plea adds.

Advocate Aadil Singh Boparai appeared for Nitasha Kaul.