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A public interest litigation has been filed at the Delhi High Court highlighting that 227 Indian Nationals and Afghan Nationals of Indian origin (Hindus and Sikhs by religion) have been stranded in Afghanistan and that urgent relief needs to be provided for their evacuation, issuance of e-visas and safe return to India.

The plea states that these stranded persons are constantly and almost daily facing threats to their lives and properties, at the hands of the Taliban.

Filed by a former spokesperson and media advisor of Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee, the plea divides the stranded persons into 4 categories.

Category I with 4 persons is of Indian Citizens. Category 2 is of Afghan Nationals of Indian origin (including Hindus, Sikhs and spouses of Indian citizens), already granted e-Visas by the Ministry of Home Affairs. Category 3 is of Afghan Nationals of Indian origin whose applications for grant of e-visas are pending before the Ministry of Home Affairs. Category 4 are those Afghan Nationals who do not have a valid passport.

The plea states that during the takeover of the country by Taliban many civilians including Indian and Afghan Nationals were either killed or wounded  by the Taliban forces.

It has been pointed out that "due to the pitiable and dangerous condition they are in, where each minute of their existence is an ordeal, the Respondents (Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of External Affairs), and particularly the Respondent No 1 is expected to provide e-Visa without insisting upon any need for passport etc to the stranded persons."

Therefore, the petitioner has prayed for the issuance of e-Visas, facilitation of evacuation of all the 227 persons - including 4 infants - from Afghanistan to India by way of chartered/special flights or any other mode of transport deemed fit. 

It has also been prayed that the Ministries take up the matter with the concerned international counterparts at the highest levels for their evacuation and security until such evacuation.

Cause Title: Mr. Parminder Pal Singh vs Ministry of Home Affairs & Anr.