The Supreme Court on Monday strongly criticised the rising number of foreigners illegally overstaying in India, calling the country a &ldquo;haven for all kinds of people,&rdquo; while dismissing a plea filed by an Israeli man living in Goa with his Russian partner.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi refused to entertain the petition filed by Dror Shlomo Goldstein, who sought to halt the repatriation of two minor daughters he claimed to have fathered with his Russian partner, Nina Kutina.&nbsp;
The bench labelled the plea &ldquo;frivolous&rdquo; and filed for &ldquo;publicity interest.&rdquo;
&ldquo;This country has become a haven for all kinds of people. Anybody comes and stays here endlessly,&rdquo; the court remarked, questioning Goldstein&rsquo;s source of income. 
The bench further asked, &ldquo;If you are the father, what were you doing when your children were living in a cave?&rdquo;
The case dates back to July 2025, when Kutina and her two daughters, aged six and five, were rescued from a forest cave in Karnataka, where they had been living for weeks without valid documents.&nbsp;
The Karnataka High Court later ordered their deportation to Russia, which was carried out on September 28.
Goldstein had approached the Supreme Court challenging the deportation, claiming he provided for the family, but both the High Court and the top court dismissed his plea.
In another case heard the same day, the bench also rejected a plea by a Sudanese national seeking protection from deportation despite overstaying his visa. 
The court reiterated that India does not recognise UNHCR refugee cards, as it is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol, and warned that &ldquo;lakhs are overstaying.&rdquo;
The Supreme Court&rsquo;s comments come amid an ongoing nationwide crackdown by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to identify and deport illegal immigrants, especially in Goa, Karnataka, and Delhi, where multiple cases of foreigners residing without valid visas have been reported.

Supreme Court calls India a haven for illegal foreigners, rejects Israeli man’s plea

SC Slams Illegal Foreigners, Rejects Israeli Plea

Supreme Court calls India a haven for illegal foreigners, rejects Israeli man’s plea

October 7, 2025 | 16:06 IST