YouTube vlogger Carl Rock blacklisted for violating visa terms
The Center on Friday told the Delhi High Court that YouTube vlogger Carl Rock has been blacklisted for violating visa conditions and doing business on a spouse’s visa.
“He has been blacklisted for visa violation. Let me file a status report. He was doing business on the visa of the spouse. Advocate Anurag Ahluwalia, counsel for the Centre, told a bench of Justice Rekha Palli.
The court was hearing a plea by the vlogger’s wife Manisha Malik, challenging the Centre’s alleged “arbitrary and unfair” decision to deny her husband a visa to enter India.
The court said grant of visa is the prerogative of the Centre, but it should be rational and the party should be informed about it.
“You can be justified but they have to know. It is the prerogative of the government, but they should be justified,” the court said while issuing notice to the Center on the petition and gave it three weeks to file its reply.
The court said that if there is any confidential information, the Center can give it in a sealed cover.
Malik’s lawyer, lawyer Fuzail Ahmed Ayyubi, informed the court that his client had not received any word from the government on the visa denial and while leaving India in October last year, the visa was revoked “without prejudice”. “.
“I asked for an extension and instead they gave me an exit permit,” Ayubi said.
He said that during his stay in India, the vlogger donated plasma twice even after recovering from COVD-19.
The next hearing of the case will be on September 23.
Malik has said in her petition that her husband Carl Edward Rice visited most of India to capture the beauty of the place and contribute to the promotion of tourism here.
The petition states that the couple has been living in Delhi since their marriage in 2019 and Rice has not been able to return to India from New Zealand since October 10 last year.
“The petitioner’s husband, Carl Edward Rice, holds dual nationality of New Zealand and Netherlands and has been visiting India since 2013 strictly following the country’s laws and visa conditions.
“During the entire period since 2013, while the petitioner’s husband has been granted Indian visa on various occasions, not a single allegation has been made against the petitioner’s husband,” the petition said.
After their marriage, Rice was granted an X-2 visa (for the spouse/children of an Indian citizen) with a validity period from May 2019 to May 2024 and one of the conditions for her visa was that she Exit India. 180 days or so to inform the concerned Foreigner Regional Registration Office.
“Observing the aforesaid condition of exit from the nation, while Rice left India on October 10, 2020, he could not return to India as any application for issuance of Indian visa was rejected by the respondents.
“The petitioner has been running continuously and no reason has been given to neither Carl Edward Rice or the petitioner himself as to the grounds on which her husband’s request for issuance of visa has been denied,” the petition said. He was informed only orally that he has been blacklisted and hence not allowed to enter India.
The plea had sought a direction to the authorities to call for records relating to cancellation of visas and unilateral blacklisting of Rice and also to review or cancel the decision to blacklist him and allow him to enter India. was demanded.
As an alternative, the petition sought a direction to the authorities to give a meaningful hearing to the couple in case of rice’s sudden blacklisting.
Read also: YouTube vlogger’s wife moves Delhi High Court challenging Centre’s decision to blacklist him
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