Behind Orlando Bloom’s deportation, the story of India’s e-visas

On Saturday, December 19, Hollywood star Orlando Bloom was in for an unpleasant surprise when he arrived at the Delhi airport from London. At least from the photographs of a beaming Bloom with Amar Singh at the Taj Mahal, we know that this story didn't end too badly — the Ministry of External Affairs intervened, his visa was cleared and he flew back to India on Sunday. According to MEA officials, Bloom had either landed in India without a confirmation e-mail on his e-visa application being cleared or had forgotten to check whether his visa application had been cleared at all.