Immigration at the Mumbai international airport detected the stamp, resulting in Perukkangil’s arrest. He was charged under the Passport Act and prohibitory orders for violating a 2017 government order that banned travel to due to security concerns and threats to life
A report indicated that Sainudheen Perukkangil (42) from Kerala was arrested on March 18 for having a Yemeni visa stamp in his passport. In fact, he was the 72nd person to be arrested in the last 14 months for going to Yemen, according to a report in Times of India.
Immigration at the Mumbai international airport detected the stamp, resulting in Perukkangil’s arrest. He was charged under the Passport Act and prohibitory orders for violating a 2017 government order that banned travel to due to security concerns and threats to life.
The majority of those arrested since January 2022 are from the worker category, having traveled to Yemen and Libya in search of jobs. Police and legal experts believe that many of them were unaware of the government ban on travel to Yemen and should not be treated as accused.
In August 2022, 23 Indians working in Yemen moved the Delhi high court, challenging the Centre’s 2017 notification that prohibits Indian passport holders from visiting Yemen. The petitioners sought direction to set aside the Gazette Notification and to release their passports seized citing the notification
Instead, they are victims who travel to Gulf countries for work and are asked by their employers to go to Yemen, where they may have an office branch, and get their passports stamped with a Yemen visa. When they return to India on leave, they are arrested and end up in jail.
A lawyer, Prabhakar Tripathi, has said that there was a need for revision of the rule of action taken against those arrested on arrival at Mumbai airport with Yemeni visa stamps. He has argued that the majority of those booked were innocent working-class individuals who are unaware of the travel ban.
It may be pointed out that in August 2022, 23 Indians working in Yemen moved the Delhi high court, challenging the Centre’s 2017 notification that prohibits Indian passport holders from visiting Yemen. The petitioners sought direction to set aside the Gazette Notification and to release their passports seized citing the notification.
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