On second thought you may be right. There was an advisory that non-essential travel out of the country should not be embarked upon.I'm just going by the details on the website. These instructions seem to make it very clearly. Specifically this bit below:
Who can apply
To be eligible for this open work permit, you must meet the following 5 requirements:
- Your post-graduation work permit (PGWP)
- expired on or after January 30, 2020, or
- will expire within 4 months from the date you apply for this open work permit.
- You were in Canada as of January 27, 2021, when the public policy took effect, and have stayed in Canada since then...
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/coronavirus-covid19/students/pgwp-extend.html
I wonder if they will be strict on the enforcement on the physical presence in Canada as of January 27,2021 until July,2021 when applications for extension is open . If he travelled on humanitarian grounds to visit family in India, I don't see how they could hold that against him.