The Delhi High Court has sought the Centre's response on a plea by a US-based Indian-origin doctor against the cancellation of his OCI registration for alleged missionary activities in Bihar.
 

Justice Rajiv Shakdher also issued notice to the Indian Consulate at Houston, US, which had in August last year cancelled the doctor's Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card and sought its response before the next date of hearing on July 18. OCI is a scheme, introduced in response to the demands for dual citizenship by the Indian diaspora. In his plea Kerala-origin Dr Christo Thomas Philip claimed the action was taken against him without any evidence and there was no basis for coming to the conclusion that he was involved in missionary and evangelical activities in India leading to unrest and law-and-order problems.

According to the petition, filed through advocates Robin David and Dhiraj Philip, the doctor was granted the OCI card and a lifelong visa by the government to visit India on November 22, 2012. He claimed he has visited India several times in the past to serve as a volunteer doctor with Duncan Hospital at Raxaul in Bihar from January 2014 till he was allegedly "unlawfully deported" on April 26, 2016 from IGI Airport. He had earlier moved the high court last year against his cancellation of OCI card by the Consulate General.

The court had asked him to approach the government against the Consulate General's order and directed the authority concerned to decide his case "as expeditiously as possible". The revisional authority, which he had approached with his representation, on December 22 last year upheld the Consulate General's decision. In his present plea, the doctor has challenged the revisional authority's December 22, 2017 decision. Apart from that, he also challenged the Consulate General's August 1, 2017 decision to cancel his OCI card as well as the look out circular issued against him. He also sought directions to the authorities to permit him to visit his family members in Kerala.