3 min read New Delhi May 12, 2026 09:41 PM IST Varadarajan, an American citizen with roots in India and living continuously here since 1995, was issued a PIO card in October 2002. Noting that “reasons are heart and soul” in an order, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday set aside a communication by the Ministry of Home Affairs in which journalist Siddharth Varadarajan’s request to convert his Person of Indian Origin (PIO) card to Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card was turned down. Addressing the authorities, Justice Purushaindra Kaurav, noting that no reasons had been assigned for denying Varadarajan’s request, remarked, “What is this? Can this order be sustained?…This order cannot be sustained, you’ll have to reconsider the petitioner’s entitlements by way of some speaking order (reasoned order). Let me set aside this order, I will grant you liberty to reconsider it, and pass a speaking order.” The HC said, “Thereafter, the petitioner can take some remedy; otherwise, he cannot even challenge this order.…