MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Monday reprimanded a US citizen while stating that the petitioner could not claim an entitlement to stay in the country just because he is from the United States.
The petitioner, 29-year-old Joshua Sadagursky, has challenged his deportation.
He was deported from the Mumbai airport on May 2018 after the authorities realized that he had breached his visa terms by overstaying in India and by taking up employment in the country.
While hearing Sadagursky’s plea, the bench of justices, S C Dharmadhikari and G S Patel, asked, “You accept there was a breach of your visa terms, then how can you claim an entitlement to stay in India?”
“What is so special about an American coming to India? Just because you are a US citizen, do you think you can come and do any jugaad in this country?” the court said and remarked, “India is a great country for condoning. Everyone has a right here but no one has any responsibility.”
Sadagursky is currently in the US. In his plea filed through his counsel Birendra Saraf, he argued that his deportation was “arbitrary”.
The petitioner also argued that he worked for an NGO and taught underprivileged children, and it could not be considered as employment.
The court, however, remained unimpressed with the argument.
The court has reserved its verdict on Sadagursky’s plea.