PRAYER: Writ Petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India praying for issuance of a writ of certiorari, calling for the records relating to the order bearing Office Memo No.06/FRRO/CHN/OCI/2026-817 dated 04.09.2026 passed by the second respondent under Section 7(D)(da) & (e) of the Citizenship Act, 1955, cancelling the petitioner’s OCI registration bearing No.A1741866, and quash the same and consequently direct the respondents to restore / revive the petitioner’s OCI registration bearing OCI.No.A1741866 and permit the petitioner to enjoy the privileges attached to the said OCI registration in accordance with law.

For Petitioner : Mr.R.Shanmuga Sundaram Senior Counsel Assisted by Ms.A.G.Shakeenaa for Mr.R.Vinayaga Vishnu

For Respondents : Dr.S.Padma Senior Panel Counsel

O R D E R

This writ petition is filed seeking a writ of certiorari, calling for the records relating to the impugned order dated 04.09.2026, passed under Section 7D(da)&(e) of the Citizenship Act, 1955 (hereinafter the Act), cancelling the petitioner's OCI registration bearing No. A1741866, and consequently to direct the respondents to restore the petitioner's OCI registration and permit him to enjoy the privileges attached to the said registration in accordance with law.

2. Upon hearing the learned Senior Counsel appearing on behalf of the petitioner and perusing the material records of the case, the petitioner's case is that he is a citizen of the United States of America and was granted registration as an Overseas Citizen of India pursuant to his application bearing F.No.INDC00038N15. The registration was granted on 06.02.2015. The petitioner has deep familial, cultural and personal ties with India. He visits India primarily for personal and family-related purposes. His mother is about 92 years old, and his sister, Lydia Margaret Daniel, reside at No.9B, Nungambakkam High Road, Chennai – 600 034. The petitioner's paternal relatives include his cousin, Caleb Graham Daniel, residing at No.6, Thirumoorthy Nagar Main Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai – 600 034; his cousin, Annie Joseph Daniel, residing at 2nd Floor, Apartments, Mehidhipatnam, Hyderabad and his uncle, Priyanand Chary, residing at Flat No.FF1, 4th Floor, Sri Raghu Apartment, Municipal Employees Colony, Vijayawada. His maternal relatives include his aunt, Fuschie Jesudas, residing at No.156, Syrian Kandoth Colony, Coimbatore; his cousin, Myrtle Raja, residing at Vandana Apartments, Shenoy Nagar, Chennai; his aunt, Dr.Jemmima Philip Baskar, residing in Jamnagar, Gujarat; and another aunt, Lizze Ganapragasam, residing in Salem, Tamil Nadu. The graves of the petitioner's father, the late Joshua Daniel, who died on 18.10.2014; his paternal grandfather, the late Nagabathula Daniel, who died on 18.12.1963; and other relatives are located in the Madras Cemeteries Board Trust Christian Cemetery, Kilpauk Garden Road, Chennai. The petitioner meets his family members, pays his respects to his elders at the cemetery, visits his mother, and preserves close familial bonds. In particular, he has been visiting India to meet, support, and attend to the needs of his aged mother as a dutiful son. The petitioner also pursued his schooling in Ooty. Thus, a significant part of his early life was spent in India.

3. The petitioner states that he has not violated any law governing OCI cardholders. He denied the allegations of missionary activities and religious conversions in his explanation to the show cause notice dated 08.09.2025. In his reply to the show cause notice, he further stated that he was not holding any office in the Laymen's Evangelical Fellowship International (LEFI). The respondents have failed to identify with precision the dates on which the petitioner allegedly undertook missionary activity in India; the places where such activity was allegedly undertaken; the persons alleged to have been converted by him; the specific acts alleged to constitute conversion; the material evi