Farida Malik, 54, a US national, who was arrested from Banbasa immigration check post in Champawat district of Uttarakhand on July 12, 2019, was released on Saturday.

She was jailed for illegally entering India from Nepal and had been awarded four years of “rigorous” imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 20,000 by a local court.

Malik’s lawyer Chandan Kargeti had claimed that she had left her passport in Nepal and also suffered bipolar disorder.

In March 2021, Uttarakhand High Court had reduced her jail term to 11 months.

The court had said in its order that the revisionist is an unmarried woman from the US and there is a cordial relationship between two countries. She did not commit any offence except the violation of visa rule.

Malik was trying to visit India by a bus plying between Kathmandu and New Delhi. Malik had failed to produce her travel permit and visa.

Avinash Sharma, circle officer of Champawat, said: “Her medical examination was done on Saturday. She would be taken to Delhi and the Centre would make arrangement for her to travel back to the US.”