ISLAMABAD : An 85-year old Pakistani at a detention centre in India for more than eight months after having served a 12-year jail term for his alleged involvement to smuggle heroin, has moved the Delhi High Court so that he could return home, Hindustan Times reported.

The Lahore resident's plea for deportation came up for hearing before justice AK Pathak who sought response of the Centre and the Delhi government before February 2.

M Hanif has contended that he was being unnecessarily kept at the detention centre at Lampur in Narela since April 6, 2016 after having served his sentence.

He has also claimed that the Pakistan High Commission has cleared his name for deportation.

The central government standing counsel accepts the notice for the respondent No1 (the Ministry of Home Affairs) and the additional standing counsel accepts notice for the respondent No2 (the Delhi government) and seek time to file status report. "Let it be filed within three weeks. List the matter on February 2, 2017," the court said.

Hanif was first arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence in 1996 in a drug smuggling case and was later acquitted by both the trial court in October 2001 and later by the high court in March 2016 after the agency moved an appeal.

Meanwhile, he was arrested in another drug smuggling case in September 2003 and was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment by the trial court in April 2001..

However, on his appeal, the high court had reduced the jail term to 12 years, as per his petition for deportation.