HYDERABAD: In a startling turn of events before the Telangana High Court, a 33-year-old man from Yakutpura, who had claimed he never applied for or held an Indian passport and was being pressured by police to obtain a Long Term Visa (LTV), produced an Indian passport during the hearing of his writ appeal.
A bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice GM Mohiuddin was hearing his challenge to a single judge’s order which had declined to interfere with police action directing him to apply afresh for an LTV in line with Government of India guidelines dated April 28, 2025.
The appellant had maintained that he was born in Hyderabad and was an Indian citizen by birth. He alleged that police officials from the Pakistan Branch (Special Branch) had repeatedly visited his residence and compelled him to apply for an LTV.
State and Union authorities disputed his claim, contending that official records showed him to be a Pakistani national. They submitted that his name was included in his mother’s Pakistani passport.
His mother, originally from Hyderabad, had married a Pakistani national and returned to India. Authorities said he had never been issued an Indian passport and had himself filed an affidavit stating that he applied for the LTV in July 2025.
During the hearing, passport authorities reiterated that no Indian passport had been issued in his name. At that stage, the appellant produced an Indian passport, claiming it was issued in 2022.
The bench questioned why the document had not been shown to the police during their visits. It noted that the case had initially been heard on the premise that a citizen was facing harassment, but the subsequent developments raised questions.
The appellant sought permission to withdraw the appeal. The bench dismissed it as withdrawn and granted liberty to the authorities to proceed in accordance with law.