NE LEGAL BUREAU
CHENNAI, JUNE 20
The Madras High Court has directed the Centre to inform the court about air-lifting of Indians stranded in different countries in the wake of the coronavirus-induced lockdown here on Friday.
A division bench of Justice R Subbiah and Justice Krishnan Ramaswamy passed the interim order on a plea from the DMK and another seeking a direction to the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government to immediately take steps to bring the Indians back.
Senior counsel P Wilson, appearing for the DMK through video conference, submitted that many Tamils were stranded abroad for want of consent from the Tamil Nadu government for landing of Vande Bharat Mission flights operated by central government.
The flights are affordable for those who want to return to Tamil Nadu, he said.
The Centre said in its counter-affidavit that 40,433 repatriation requests to evacuate to Tamil Nadu have so far been received from several Indian embassies.
About 14,065 have been rescued and 26,368 stranded passengers have to be brought to Tamil Nadu.
Wilson submitted that the Centre has not complied with the directions of the court on June 12 to provide it the number of airlines operated so far to Tamil Nadu during COVID-19 lockdown and details of more such flights in the near future.
The court had also sought details of the relief in the form of any financial help such as ticket cost, food and stay to be provided to the stranded people.
To the submissions, Additional Advocate General SR Rajagopal, appearing for the Tamil Nadu government, said the state has no objection to operate any number of ‘Vande Bharat’ Mission flights.
Recording the submissions, the bench posted the matter for further hearing on June 23
