Union Home Minister Shah responds to CPI(M) leader John Brittas’ letter in Malayalam

In a first, Home Minister Amit Shah responded in Malayalam to CPI(M) leader and Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas’ letter to him, flagging the legal infirmities in the Home Ministry’s directive to cancel the Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) registration of a person if he or she is charge-sheeted for an offence carrying a sentence of seven years or more.

Mr. Brittas on October 22, 2025, in a letter to Mr. Shah had urged the government to review and annul the notification, arguing that the directive undermined the principle of presumption of innocence and violated constitutional guarantees of due process. He had said in his letter than any action affecting OCI cardholders must be based on judicial determination and not mere procedural steps in criminal investigations.

Mr. Shah responded to Mr. Brittas’ letter in Malayalam, acknowledging the receipt of his letter without going into any further details.