New Delhi, Aug 22 (IANS): The Delhi High Court on Monday sought the Centre's stand on UK-based veteran anthropologist and sociologist Filippo Osella's plea challenging his deportation from the Kerala airport.

On March 24, Osella was deported back to the UK after he landed at the Thiruvananthapuram airport in Kerala.

Justice Yashwant Varma granted time to the Centre's counsel to file response in the matter, and slated the matter for further hearing on October 12.

Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, Bureau of Immigration and FRRO, Trivandram are the respondents to the plea.

"Reasons were disturbingly absent in this high handed and arbitrary conduct of the Immigration authorities at Thiruvananthapuram airport. By 4:30 a.m., the Professor was literally marched back and bundled into the same aircraft, in which he had arrived and was unjustly deported - much like a hardened criminal," the plea read.

"Since the authorities not only denied entry without any reason at all but also did not provide any reasonable opportunity to the petitioner to present his side," it added.

Upon arrival at the Thiruvananthapuram airport, he was received by an official who took him to the immigration desk. After a brief while, he was told that he was being deported.

A professor of anthropology and south Asian studies at the University of Sussex, the 65-year-old Osella is an expert on Kerala and has arrived to take part in a seminar.