A 74-year-old US national has approached the Kerala High Court seeking to extend his visa by as many as six months amid the ongoing coronavirus lockdown.
The court considered the petition of theatre director and writer Terry John Converse on Tuesday and said that "it is needless to state that, if in case international flights do not start their operations by then, the petitioner's visa will have to be extended beyond that period also."
The matter was slated for further hearing on May 17.
John, who is living at Panampilly Nagar in Kochi, said that he would like to get a 180-day extension on his visa so he can stay in India as the COVID-19 situation in the US is grim.
"I would like to get a 180-day extension on my visa so that I will be able to stay in India as the situation in the US is currently very grim. India has been far more methodical and successful than the US in containing the virus," John told here on Thursday.
He is currently living with the family of Charu Narayanakumar, who runs the Phoenix World Theatre Group in Kochi. John works as an emeritus professor of theatre at the Washington State University and teaches all levels of direction, contemporary world theatre, and script analysis.
Speaking to Narayanakumar said, "John came to India in September last year to watch and study about dramas here. His visa expired in mid-March. Earlier he planned to go to Sri Lanka in March and return to India. But when the lockdown was announced, he was stranded here."
"We approached the Foreigner Regional Registration Office (FRRO) for extending the visa. The FRRO said that foreigners' visa period was automatically extended to 30 days," Narayanakumar said.
"On April 27, his visa extension period was also expired. That is why we approached the high court through advocate KP Santhi. Terry is seeking 180 days extension of his visa because he can't go to the US in this situation. He is 74-years-old," he added.
( With inputs from ANI )