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Justice Matrix · Case profile

Ktaer Abbas Habib Al Qutaifi and Another v Union of India and Others, 1999 CRI.L.J. 919

IndiaGujarat High Court1999Asia
FavorableHigh precedentVerified
Needs review

Machine-found from the cited source, not yet confirmed by a human. Open the source before relying on it.

Strategic issue

What was at stake

Whether Iraqi asylum seekers detained in India could be removed while their claim raised a risk of return to persecution or serious harm.

Facts

What happened

Iraqi nationals who had entered India sought asylum and were detained by immigration authorities; they challenged their detention and the prospect of deportation on the ground that returning them to Iraq would expose them to persecution or serious harm.

Key holding

What the court decided

The Gujarat High Court recognised non-refoulement as connected to Article 21 protection of life and liberty, and restrained deportation while refugee status and protection risk were considered.

Reasoning

How the court got there

The Gujarat High Court held that the principle of non‑refoulement is incorporated in the constitutional guarantee of life and liberty under Article 21, and therefore the court could not order their removal while the asylum claim and risk of persecution were still being assessed.

Authorities

Statutes and cases cited

Statutes & treaties
  • § Refugee Convention art. 33
  • § Constitution of India art. 21
Issue areas

Categories

refugeeasylumimmigrationnon-refoulement
Disclaimer and licence

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