Respite for Taslima Nasreen! Supreme Court refuses plea against her visa

New Delhi, Jan 19: Supreme Court today refused to entertain a plea against controversial Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen seeking directions for cancellation of her visa.

"How is this maintainable? You should approach the High Court. We will not entertain this plea," a bench of justices V Gopala Gowda and R Banumathi said.

The bench declined the plea of NGO, All India Human Rights and Social Justice Front, seeking cancellation of Nasreen's visa on the ground that she violated certain provisions of the Foreigners Act.

The plea, filed through advocate Nafis Ahmad Siddiqui, has also sought her deportation besides directions to prosecute Nasreen for violating various provisions of the Foreigners Act. The plea contended that in December 2013, a Bengali channel was stopped from airing a TV serial based on a story written by her.

Later, in 2014, in spite of the restrictions by Foreigners Act, she released her film 'Nirbashito' at the Mumbai Film Festival. "Taslima Nasreen has violated and contravened the provisions of section 13/14 of the Foreigners Act, 1946 together with the mandatory provisions of section 11A of the Foreigners order, 1948," the plea said.

The 51-year-old author, who was earlier granted visa for one year till August, 2015, is a citizen of Sweden. She has been continuously getting Indian visa since 2004.

PTI