Journalist Siddharth Varadarajan tendered an unconditional apology to the Delhi HC for not disclosing an Allahabad HC order in his OCI status plea. He stated the omission was not deliberate. The Court has adjourned the matter to July 15.
Varadarajan Tenders 'Unconditional Apology'
In his affidavit filed before the Delhi High Court, journalist and The Wire founding editor Siddharth Varadarajan tendered an "unconditional apology" for not referring to the Allahabad High Court's anticipatory bail order dated May 15, 2020, passed in connection with FIRs registered at Ayodhya. He stated that the omission was neither deliberate nor intended to mislead the Court.
"In view of the fact that there is indeed an order of anticipatory bail passed by the High Court of Allahabad... and the same did not find mention in the pleadings or the submissions of the present petition, the deponent seeks the pardon of this Hon'ble Court and tenders a complete and unconditional apology," the affidavit stated.
The affidavit was placed before Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav on Monday when the matter was taken up. During the hearing, the Central Government sought time to respond to Varadarajan's affidavit. The Court thereafter adjourned the matter to July 15.
Background of OCI Application and FIRs
Varadarajan submitted that the omission to disclose the Allahabad High Court order was "not at all deliberate" and occurred because the criminal trial in the Ayodhya matter had not even commenced. The affidavit further stated that after the previous hearing on May 14, local counsel checked the records before the magistrate's court in Ayodhya and confirmed that no summons had been served upon him from May 2020 to date.
Varadarajan also told the Court that the pending FIRs had already been disclosed by him in his OCI application itself, with the remark "trial awaited". According to the affidavit, his application for registration as an Overseas Citizen of India cardholder remained pending for over four years before being rejected through what he termed a "cryptic" email dated April 2, 2026, without reasons.
The affidavit additionally stated that Varadarajan is a US citizen and holder of a Person of Indian Origin (PIO) card. However, all PIO cards expired on December 31, 2025, after the Government merged the PIO and OCI schemes, making OCI registration necessary for continued entry and stay in India.
Court's Previous Stance on Non-Disclosure
The controversy arose earlier when the Delhi High Court questioned Varadarajan over the non-disclosure of the Allahabad High Court's anticipatory bail order while hearing his plea relating to OCI status and overseas travel. During that hearing previously, Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma and advocate Ashish Dixit, appearing for the Central Government, informed the Court about the Allahabad High Court's 2020 order directing Varadarajan not to leave the country without prior permission of the concerned court.
Justice Kaurav had then termed the issue "very serious" and observed that the omission could have serious consequences. The Court had directed Varadarajan to file an affidavit explaining his conduct. Senior Advocate Nitya Ramakrishnan, appearing for Varadarajan, had apologised before the Court for not placing the Allahabad High Court order on record. However, the Court observed that an oral apology alone was insufficient in such circumstances.
The High Court had also recalled its earlier orders in the matter, including an order by which it had set aside the Centre's April 2026 decision refusing Varadarajan an OCI card. Earlier on May 12, the Court had quashed the government's rejection order, observing that adequate reasons had not been provided for denying OCI status and directing authorities to reconsider the matter by passing a fresh reasoned order. Varadarajan had argued that after PIO cards were treated as OCI cards in 2015, his existing card became unreadable, compelling him to seek formal OCI conversion. (ANI)
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