The Indian government has approached US authorities seeking the deportation of a man who managed to leave the country despite his passport being deposited with the Supreme Court, which is pursuing contempt proceedings against him in a child custody dispute.
The settlement included an undertaking by him to hand over custody of their son to his former wife. The contempt proceedings arise from a settlement reached before the Supreme Court in October 2019 between Chhokar and his former wife, following their marital dispute.
The case
A bench of justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M Pancholi, in an order released on Monday, recorded a communication from the Centre confirming that the Central Bureau of Investigation’s Interpol unit had written to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) seeking the deportation of Manish Chhokar, and expressed satisfaction with the steps taken to secure his presence in India. The development follows a series of steps initiated by the Supreme Court after Chhokar, a US Green Card holder, allegedly left India in January 2025 despite his Indian passport being in the court’s custody and without its permission. The communication was enclosed with a letter dated October 13, addressed to the Legal Consultant in the ministry of external affairs, and placed before the court by the Centre’s counsel. On July 20, 2026, the Supreme Court took note of a statement by Chhokar’s counsel that he was not in a position to travel to India. His passport was subsequently cancelled, and the October 15 order was recorded, leaving the government to pursue the course outlined in its earlier note.
The court adjourned the matter by four weeks, allowing the government more time to pursue the process. The court had issued a non-bailable warrant against him and subsequently directed the CBI to investigate how he managed to leave the country. Because contempt of court, by itself, was not an extraditable offence under the applicable framework, in an order dated August 26, 2025, it recorded the Centre’s assessment that extradition from the US might not be feasible.
The court had earlier explored the options available to the government to secure Chhokar’s return.
