Centre seeks US deportation of man who fled India despite passport lying in Supreme Court

The Indian government has approached US authorities seeking the deportation of a man who managed to leave the country despite his passport being deposited with the Supreme Court, which is pursuing contempt proceedings against him in a child custody dispute.The Supreme Court adjourned the matter by four weeks, allowing the government more time to pursue the process. () (Arvind yadav/HT Photo/ Representative)A bench of justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M Pancholi, in an order released on Monday, recorded a communication from the Centre confirming that the Central Bureau of Investigation’s Interpol unit had written to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) seeking the deportation of Manish Chhokar, and expressed satisfaction with the steps taken to secure his presence in India.The court adjourned the matter by four weeks, allowing the government more time to pursue the process. “In view of the steps taken by the Union of India to secure the presence of the respondent, of which we are satisfied,” it said.The caseThe development follows a series of steps initiated by the Supreme Court after Chhokar, a US Green Card holder, allegedly left India in January 2025 despite his Indian passport being in the court’s custody and without its permission. The court had issued a non-bailable warrant against him and subsequently directed the CBI to investigate how he managed to leave the country. The agency registered a case against him in March 2025.The latest order records that the CBI’s National Central Bureau in New Delhi sent a communication dated September 30, 2026, to the FBI at the US Embassy in New Delhi, seeking Chhokar’s deportation. The communication was enclosed with a letter dated October 13, addressed to the Legal Consultant in the ministry of external affairs, and placed before the court by the Centre’s counsel.The court had earlier explored the options available to the government to secure Chhokar’s return. In an order dated August 26, 2025, it recorded the Centre’s assessment that extradition from the US might not be feasible because contempt of court, by itself, was not an extraditable offence under the applicable framework.The government had suggested that summons could be served through US authorities under the bilateral Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty in criminal matters. It had also proposed revoking Chhokar’s Indian passport and pursuing deportation through US authorities.On July 20, 2026, the Supreme Court took note of a statement by Chhokar’s counsel that he was not in a position to travel to India. His passport was subsequently cancelled, and the October 15 order was recorded, leaving the government to pursue the course outlined in its earlier note.The contempt proceedingsThe contempt proceedings arise from a settlement reached before the Supreme Court in October 2019 between Chhokar and his former wife, following their marital dispute. The settlement included an undertaking by him to hand over custody of their son to his former wife.When he allegedly failed to comply with the arrangement, contempt proceedings were initiated. The court had directed him to remain personally present during the proceedings, but was informed in January 2025 that he had left for the US.Taking serious exception to his departure, the court had then issued a non-bailable warrant and directed the Union government to take every possible step under the law to secure his arrest and return. It also asked the Centre to ascertain how he had been permitted to leave the country without his passport and who had assisted him.The CBI subsequently registered an FIR following a preliminary inquiry. According to the agency’s allegations, Chhokar departed from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport for the US on January 20, 2025, using a re-entry permit issued by the American Embassy, despite not having his Indian passport with him. The FIR contended that he obtained emigration clearance by providing false information about the whereabouts of his passport and his proposed travel documentation. These allegations are subject to investigation.