Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The Sindhi Panchayat in Indore has appealed to the district collector to deport a Pakistani national residing on a long-term visa, following his preparations for a second marriage despite being already married.
The action was prompted after his first wife, residing in Karachi, contacted the Sindhi Mediation and Legal Counselling Centre in Indore via social media in January, urging intervention to stop the wedding.
The man in question, Vikram Kumar Nagdev, has been living in Indore on a long-term visa for the past 12 years. He married Nikita, a woman from Karachi, on January 26, 2020, and brought her to India a month later.
However, citing visa issues, he sent her back to Pakistan on July 9, 2020. Since then, he has neither made efforts to bring her back nor sought legal separation.
The issue resurfaced when Nikita discovered that Vikram had recently gotten engaged to Shivangi Dingra, a woman from Delhi, and was planning to remarry. Distressed, she reached out to the mediation centre via WhatsApp on January 15, 2025, seeking help.
Following her plea, the Sindhi Panchayat conducted a thorough review and concluded that Vikram was in violation of both legal and social norms. Panchayat president Kishore Kodwani stated that since the marriage was solemnised in Pakistan, it remains legally binding under Pakistani law, rendering any second marriage without divorce illegal.
The Panchayat also flagged concerns over Vikram’s alleged property acquisitions in India, potentially violating visa regulations.
The Panchayat formally submitted a recommendation for Vikram’s deportation to collector Asheesh Singh, citing multiple breaches. Nikita’s father, Munawwar Lal, also backed the move, stating that his daughter was wrongfully sent back and abandoned without any legal recourse.
Collector Asheesh Singh confirmed that the administration is reviewing all such cases involving long-term visa holders. He assured that any violations of visa or property laws would be dealt with strictly under the legal framework.
The case has sparked public interest due to its international legal dimensions and concerns about the misuse of long-term visas and spousal neglect in cross-border marriages.
