OXFORD historian Manikarnika Dutta, 37, is facing deportation from the UK after the Home Office ruled that she had spent too many days outside the country conducting research in India.
Dutta, who studied archives in Indian cities as part of her work at the University of Oxford, exceeded the permitted absence limit for those applying for indefinite leave to remain (ILR), The Guardian reported.
Home Office rules state that ILR applicants who have lived in the UK for over 10 years can be abroad for a maximum of 548 days during that period. Dutta was away for 691 days.
Her application was also rejected on the grounds that she does not have a family life in the UK, despite being married for over a decade and living with her husband, Dr Souvik Naha, a senior lecturer at the University of Glasgow.
Dutta, now an assistant professor at University College Dublin, first arrived in the UK in 2012 on a student visa. Her lawyer, Naga Kandiah, said her research trips were essential for her academic work and visa requirements.
In October 2023, she applied for ILR, but while her husband’s application was approved, hers was refused. A review upheld the decision, stating she must leave the UK or face a re-entry ban, The Guardian reported.
Kandiah has launched a legal challenge, and the Home Office has agreed to reconsider the case within three months, though the decision may remain unchanged.
A Home Office spokesperson said it does not routinely comment on individual cases.
Curator Emma Slocombe with ikat robes and arabachi coats in the Peter the Great Room in Blickling Hall Amit Roy 
View of the entrance to Blickling Hall on a rainy autumn dayAmit Roy 
Kente cloth from Ghana in the Long Gallery in Blickling Hall 
Decoration in the Great Hall at Blickling Hall Amit Roy 
Palampore fragment made in coastal south-east India in the Brown Room in Blickling Hall Amit Roy 
Bed valance dating from early 1700s in the Italian Print Room at Blickling Hall Amit Roy 
Indian inspired fabric draped on sofas in the South Drawing Room in Blickling Hall Amit Roy 
Indian inspired fabric draped on sofas in the South Drawing Room with Indian carpet in Blickling Hall Amit Roy 
Karun Thakar has picked out the geometric patterns in the bookcase and the Kente cloth in the Long Gallery in Blickling Hall Amit Roy 
Large tapestry depicting Peter the Great defeating the Swedish army at the Battle of Poltava in 1709 Amit Roy 
ikat robes and arabachi coats in the Peter the Great Room in Blickling Hall Amit Roy 
Baghs and kanthas made by women provide contrast to the men only portraits in the Great Hall at Blickling Hall Amit Roy 
Baghs and kanthas in the entrance Great Hall at Blickling Hall Amit Roy
Baghs and Kanthas in the Great Hall in harmony with stained glass window at Blickling Hall Amit Roy 
Kimonos reflect Japanese influence in Upper Ante Room in Blickling Hall Amit Roy 
Kimono in Upper Ante Room in Blickling Hall 
A view of the Palace and fort at Agra shows romantic side of India Amit Roy 
Blickling Hall Amit Roy 
Table carpet, European 1670-1680 Amit Roy 
Unfinished 17th century Italian embroidery in the Print Room at Blickling Hall Amit Roy 
Picture of Kashmir shows a romantic view of India Amit Roy 
A panel of Ashburnham bed hangings made in Gujarat for sale in Europe in the Brown Room in Blickling Hall Amit Roy 
Colcha made in the 1600s by women in Bengal for the Portuguese market in the Long Gallery at Blickling Hall Amit Roy
