In a significant ruling, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court has directed the Union Government to facilitate the return of a 63-year-old woman who was mistakenly deported to Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack in 2023. The woman, identified as Noor Jahan, had been residing in India for decades but was erroneously sent back under suspicion of illegal stay.
According to reports, Noor Jahan was among several individuals rounded up during a security crackdown after the deadly attack in Pahalgam. Despite producing documentation of her long-term residence in Kashmir, she was deported to Pakistan’s Punjab province without adequate legal recourse.
The court, responding to a habeas corpus plea filed by her family, termed the deportation a “gross violation of constitutional rights” and a “failure of administrative diligence.” It emphasized that the woman was entitled to legal protection and due process before such a drastic action could be taken.
The bench ordered the Ministry of Home Affairs to coordinate with Pakistani authorities to ensure Noor Jahan’s safe return and also sought an internal inquiry into the procedural lapses that led to the deportation. The judgment has been welcomed by civil rights groups who had raised concerns over profiling and wrongful detentions in the aftermath of the attack.
