Sr Jean's visa restored after Home Minister's intervention

Thanks to Home Minister P Chidambaram, Sister Jacqueline Jean McEwan can stay in India as long as she wants.

The British-born Catholic nun was July 10 ordered to leave the country after her residence permit was not renewed by the government.

However, Home minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday intervened to restore visa "without limit of time".

"Orders have been issued. Sr. Jean can stay as long as she likes," Chidambaram told media.

According to the Union minister, the notice for her to leave the country, issued by the Foreign Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Bangalore, was a mistake on the ground that she did submit complete documents.

The minister's intervention came a day after the Ministry of Home Affairs permitted Sr Jean to stay in India for one month starting July 25.

The extension of visa was given after Sr. Jean's notice of exit and her 30 years service to lepers drew extensive media attention.

Sr. Jean has been working among leprosy patients at the Sumanahalli Leprosy Rehabilitation Centre which has a residential accommodation for about 120 poor leprosy patients and runs a mobile clinic to look after about 1,000 leprosy patients.

"I am so relieved that the government has allowed me to stay and serve the leprosy patients as I have been doing over the years. I am sure I will be permitted to continue the service to the poor," Sr Jean earlier told IANS.

Fr. George Kannanthanam, the director of the Sumanahalli Society, expressed appreciation for the support received from the home minister and his office.

"I am happy that Sister Jean can continue to work for the poor patients in the spirit of Mother Teresa. Our yeoman work would have been seriously affected by her absence otherwise," he said.

Sr. Jean is popularly known as Mother Teresa of Sumanahalli. She has been renewing her visa every year since 1982.

The 63-year-old nun had applied for extension in September 2010 for the visa for 2011.