The Delhi High Court on Thursday recalled its earlier order by which it had quashed the Central government decision to reject The Wire founding editor Siddharth Varadarajan's application for an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card..Varadarajan has sought conversion of his Person of Indian Origin (PIO) status to OCI since the PIO scheme no longer exists and has been merged with OCI. Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav had on May 12 ruled that 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 therefore quashed it.However, Central government today informed the Court that Varadarajan had failed to disclose an Allahabad High Court order that restrains him from leaving the country without its permission. Taking serious exception to the alleged suppression by Varadarajan, the Court said it would entail serious consequences. Varadarajan's counsel apologised for the lapse. However, the Court said:"It is the petitioner's bail application [before Allahabad High Court]. The conditions [imposed in the bail order] have not been pointed out to this court. We have to dismiss your writ petition. Some action is required to be taken... I will consider the apology [by Senior Advocate Nitya Ramakrishnan who appeared for Varadarajan]... I can only accept your apology till not taking any action, but he does not deserve any relief from the court because of suppression.".Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma appeared for the Central government and referred to the 2020 order of the Allahabad High Court by which Varadarajan was ordered to seek the court's permission before going abroad. The Court then asked Varadarajan to explain his conduct by filing an affidavit within seven days..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 However, all PIO cards expired on December 31, 2025 and are no longer valid for entry into or stay in India.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. His PIO Card is valid till 2032, but since the PIO scheme no longer exists, his card is not readable, as per his plea..Along with ASG Sharma, Central Government Standing Counsels (CGSCs) Ashish Dixit and Nishant Gautam appeared for the Central government.
