The feisty lawyer took up the case of a 50-year-old Israeli national who had been legally running a health food business in Pune for the past 13 years
Senior lawyer Ram Jethmalani has officially stopped accepting new cases. But on his 86th birthday on Thursday, the feisty lawyer took up the case of a 50-year-old Israeli national who had been legally running a health food business in Pune for the past 13 years and has
been served a deportation notice by the government.
Hillel Shapira’s business visa expired in June 2006 before which he had sought a visa extension in May 2006. The government did not act on the application for over two years and in April 2009, the Pune Foreigners’ Registration Office (FRO) asked Shapira to leave India, stating that the government had rejected his visa extension application.
Shapira moved the Bombay high court challenging his deportation. Despite representations to the government, he was put under detention in Pune in June. On September 8, he was arrested and taken to the Mumbai airport for deportation. Only on the HC’s intervention, the deportation was put on hold. Hearing the government’s “disgraceful behaviour”, Jethmalani decided to take up Shapira’s case for free.
“Everything that has happened in this case is without the authority of law,” Jethmalani argued. He pointed out that during Shapira’s detention in Pune, he was kept in inhuman conditions without access even to a toilet. “He [Shapira] had to pay for every act of sh******. They imposed a tax on his bowels. Bribery and corruption are the rule now,” he stated.
Condemning the government’s “arbitrary act” of deporting a foreigner without giving him a hearing or a reasoned order, Jethmalani said such behaviour sends out a wrong signal, as we are inviting foreigners to invest in India.
Additional Solicitor General DJ Khambatta said the home ministry had considered Shapira’s case and decided not to extend his visa. He added that for three years, Shapira is in India without a valid visa. “I can assure the court that we [Centre] will refund any charges made by him [Shapira] if proved,” Khambatta said, referring to Jethmalani’s allegation of “bowel tax”. The matter will be heard on September 24.
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