Why in news?

The Centre has removed names of 312 Sikh foreign nationals involved in anti-India activities from its blacklist/the Central Adverse List.

What is the Central Adverse List?

• The Ministry of Home Affairs maintains a list officially named as the Central Adverse List.
• It has more than 35,000 names on it.
• It includes the names of individuals who supported the Khalistan movement in 1980s and 1990s but left India to take asylum in foreign countries.
• These are those who were in favour of a separate Sikh state and had opposed the Operation Blue Star.
• Many of the Sikhs on this list fled India to escape the authorities and acquired foreign nationality and took asylum outside India.
• This list is not restricted to Punjab or the Khalistan movement alone.
• It has names of those individuals who are suspected to have links with terrorist outfits or have violated visa norms in their previous visit to India.
• The list also includes the names of those persons who have indulged in criminal activities or have been accused of sexual crimes against children in their respective countries.

What is the purpose?

• It is a step taken by the Indian government to maintain internal security.
• This list is constantly used by all Indian Missions and Consulates to stop the individuals named in it from entering India.
• This is done by not granting visa to such persons.
• The list is also used to keep serious offenders outside India as a person may commit a crime in the native nation and then apply for an Indian visa to escape prosecution.

How is the list maintained?

• The list is maintained by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs with inputs from all the state governments.
• Various intelligence agencies constantly review this list and add new names to it.
• Central intelligence agencies as well as the state-level intelligence contributes to the information, determining the inclusion of a person in this list.
• Since law and order is a state subject, the state police is also utilised for intelligence gathering in order to update the list.

What does the recent decision mean?

• Most of the Sikh nationals in the list have remained outside the country since the 1980s and have not visited their families since then.
• With the names being removed, they can now visit India and meet their families here.
• They could also get access to consular services as well as an Indian visa.
• This list had a multiplier effect in denying visas as the family members of the persons on this list were also denied visas to other countries.
• Such a practice will no longer be carried forward.