On December 7, a division bench of The Delhi High Court comprised of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad refused to hear a public interest litigation (PIL) that sought police verification of the passports of all Africans and Bangladeshis living in Delhi on suspicion of being drug peddlers.

The Court observed "There is no research done by you... what is the basis of this. These comments can be termed racist. They are also human beings. They have valid passports. Sorry, there is nothing in this."

The petition was filed by advocate Sushil Kumar Jain, who claimed that drug smuggling is mostly done by African nationals, which affects youth and has a negative impact on their future. "Many of the foreigners taking student visas and medical visa or involve in illegal acts, crime like drug smuggling, human trafficking and cyber fraud. Due to prostitution prevailing has been supporting (sic) in the spread of AIDS and many other sexually transmitted diseases in Delhi."

The petition also claimed that these foreign nationals do not have valid visas or passports to stay in India legally.

Case title: Sushil Kr Jain v UOI