Delhi HC denies permission to Afghanistan national to return home; asks him to pay penalty

In a breaking development, the Delhi High Court (HC) has denied permission to an Afghan national to visit his homeland amid prevailing circumstances in the neighbouring country. While stating that there was a very bleak chance of the petitioner being able to return to India, Justice Mukta Gupta said that the Court found no ground to release the passport of the petitioner and permit him to leave the country without depositing the penalty of Rs 13 lakh, given the prevailing situation in Afghanistan. 

Delhi HC: 'Chance of him to return is very bleak'

Petitioner Rahulla Amin, the accused represented by advocate Sangita Bhayana, had told the Delhi HC that he has 11 children and that his first wife had been killed by the terrorists and he has to look after his family. Amin was intercepted while leaving to Afghanistan carrying certain medicines illegally at the airport and proceedings were initiated against him.

The Delhi HC order read, "According to learned counsel for the petitioner, the petitioner is not in a position to submit the redemption fine of Rs 9 lakhs and Rs 13 lakhs as personal penalty and that the petitioner be permitted to deposit 20% of the said amount and permit the petitioner to go to Afghanistan. Learned counsel for the petitioner states that the petitioner is not inclined to take the goods back, hence the redemption fine is not required to be deposited and only penalty is required to be deposited. Though there is an error in the noting of the learned CMM with regard to the redemption amount and penalty amount, however as noted in the order of the Additional Commissioner of Customs, IGI Airport, the petitioner is required to deposit the penalty amount of Rs 13 lakhs and redemption fine of Rs 9 lakhs."

Read the full Delhi HC order here:

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The Taliban takeover

After the Taliban stormed into Kabul on August 15, Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani resigned and fled the country with his associates. Since then, several persons have lost their lives in the chaos at the Hamid Karzai International Airport with thousands of people desperately trying to flee the country. This includes the death of at least 169 Afghans, 11 US Marines, a US Navy sailor, and a US Army soldier in a suicide bombing at the Abbey Gate of the Kabul airport on August 26. This led to US airstrikes on terrorists belonging to ISIS-K which claimed responsibility for this attack.

On August 31, the Taliban gained control of the Kabul airport after the last batch of US troops left Afghanistan. While the Taliban promised to form an "inclusive" government to run Afghanistan, it announced a 33-member caretaker Cabinet a day earlier which neither has women nor mainstream politicians from previous regimes. While Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, the chief of the Taliban's Rehbari Shura, is the new Prime Minister, he has two deputies in Mullah Baradar and Mawlavi Hanafi. Another terrorist Sirajuddin Haqqani is the Interior Minister whereas Taliban founder Mullah Omar's son Mullah Yaqoob has been named the Defence Minister. 

(Image: ANI-Representative)