Issue fresh repatriation certificate: HC to camp official

MADURAI: The Madurai bench of Madras High Court directed the Regional Special Deputy Collector of Kottapattu Refugee camp in Tiruchy to issue a fresh certificate certifying that the petitioner is a repatriated citizen of India.

Jayamani Venugopal, the petitioner, who was born in Sri Lanka in 1961, got married to one Venugopal in the year 1978. Both lived in Sri Lanka.

The petitioner as well as her husband returned to India as repatriates under the Indo-Ceylon Agreement, 1964.

The Tahsildar of Thiruporur issued a certificate in favour of the petitioner on January 6, 2021, stating that the petitioner is a repatriated citizen of India.

The genuineness of the certificate is beyond dispute. While so, clarification was required regarding some entries made in the petitioner’s passport.

The petitioner was a resident of the Sri Lanka camp at Kottapattu in Tiruchy district from December 1990 to October 31, 2006. The inmate of the refugee camp bore an admission number (1220/1990).

When the petitioner approached the Regional Special Deputy Collector of the camp, the impugned certificate was issued on April 15, 2021. In that certificate, the petitioner was described as a Sri Lankan refugee.

The petitioner said that she is not a Sri Lankan refugee but an Indian repatriate from the island nation and the misdescription on the certificate caused serious civil consequences.

Further Justice GR Swaminathan in his order said since the Thiruporur Tahsildar issued a certificate in favour of the petitioner describing her as an Indian citizen and the certificate is still holding well.

But the impugned certificate issued by the Regional Special Deputy Collector, Refugee camp, Kottapattu warrants modification and hence the certificate was quashed.