How UK Lawyers Are Exploiting Indian Migrants With Fake Asylum Claims A recent investigation by the Daily Mail has revealed how ...
How UK Lawyers Are Exploiting Indian Migrants With Fake Asylum Claims
A recent investigation by the Daily Mail has revealed how some UK lawyers are coaching illegal Indian migrants to pose as persecuted pro-Khalistanis to seek asylum in the country. The lawyers are charging hefty fees to fabricate stories of torture, sexual abuse, death threats, and political oppression in India, and provide false evidence to support their claims.
The Daily Mail sent an undercover reporter posing as a farmer from Punjab who had arrived in the UK illegally on a small boat looking for work. He visited several law firms and was told by different lawyers that he could get refugee status by pretending to be a supporter of Khalistan, a separatist movement that seeks to create an independent Sikh state in India.
One lawyer, V P Lingajothy, who came to the UK from Sri Lanka in 1983, asked the reporter to claim that he was arrested and tortured by the Indian government for being pro-Khalistani. He said: "You can say that the Indian government accused you of being pro-Khalistani, you were taken into custody, arrested and you were ill treated, tortured, sexually tortured. That's why you couldn't marry and you were frustrated, you wanted to commit suicide."
Lingajothy also offered to produce a doctor's report and anti-depressants to show that the reporter had suffered psychological trauma. He charged £10,000 for his services.
Another lawyer told the reporter that he had to "create the evidence" to make it appear that he had a genuine fear of "persecution and assassination" if he returned to India. He suggested that the reporter could claim that he had participated in the farmers' agitation, that he was invited to join Khalistani separatist Amritpal Singh, and that he was now being hunted by the Indian security agencies.
A third lawyer said that he could use other reasons to justify the asylum claim, such as having a love affair with someone from the wrong caste or being gay. He said: "You have to say something which is not true but believable."
According to the report, up to 40 solicitors' firms are being monitored by the authorities amid suspected asylum claim "abuses" and allegations of "carbon copy" applications from different people represented by the same firms.
The investigation has sparked outrage among UK politicians and legal professionals. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted: "This is what we’re up against. The Labour Party, a subset of lawyers, criminal gangs - they're all on the same side, propping up a system of exploitation that profits from getting people to the UK illegally."
The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, condemned the "appalling" conduct by the law firms and said it undermined the rule of law and trust in lawyers. The Solicitors Regulation Authority said it would take action against any solicitors or firms that breached its rules.
The expose also raises questions about the plight of genuine asylum seekers who are fleeing from persecution and violence in their home countries. It also exposes the vulnerability of illegal migrants who are desperate for a better life and fall prey to unscrupulous lawyers who exploit their situation.
Source:
(1) Lawyers coach Indians seeking asylum in UK to pretend to be pro .... https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/lawyers-coach-indians-seeking-asylum-in-uk-to-pretend-to-be-pro-khalistani-report-1241179.html.
(2) undefined. https://t.co/ez3rYIU0uQ.
(3) ‘Lawyers coaching Indian migrants to pretend to be Khalistani for UK .... https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/lawyers-coaching-indian-migrants-to-pretend-to-be-khalistani-for-uk-asylum/articleshow/102153857.cms.
(4) UK lawyers are coaching illegal Indian immigrants to pose as persecuted .... https://www.connectedtoindia.com/uk-lawyers-are-coaching-illegal-indian-immigrants-to-pose-as-persecuted-khalistanis-for-asylum-11381.html.
(5) Lawyers In UK 'Coaching' Illegal Indian Migrants To Pose As Khalistan .... https://www.outlookindia.com/international/lawyers-in-uk-coaching-illegal-indian-migrants-to-pose-as-khalistan-supporters-for-asylum-news-305974.
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