Kerala HC adjourns till April 21 pleas over repatriation of citizens stranded in Gulf countries

Kerala High Court on Friday adjourned till April 21 three different petitions seeking repatriation of Indian citizens stranded in Gulf countries amid the ongoing coronavirus lockdown.

The Central government filed its reply on the petition in the matter today, following which the petitioner's counsel had sought time to peruse the statement and respond.

"Centre cannot take a decision on repatriation of Indians from abroad with respect to one state alone. There cannot be discrimination between states. Central Government has taken a decision not to repatriate Indians stranded abroad due to COVID-19," Centre's counsel said.

"Government has appointed Nodal Officers in Embassies to ensure the welfare of the citizens in foreign nations. Similar writ petitions are pending before Supreme Court, and the apex court has adjourned those matters after four weeks," the counsel added.

The petitioner sought special consideration for Keralites stranded in Gulf countries, submitting that the Kerala government has expressed willingness to take them back, and also due to the fact that Kerala has good infrastructure to quarantine these people.

One of the petitions sought directions to the Union Ministry of External Affairs and Civil Aviation for permission to evacuate Indian citizens stranded in the UAE.

It said that the petitioners are not asking for a direction to the Union of India to operate a chartered flight to evacuate the stranded citizens, as Emirates Airlines, which is the official airline of the Dubai government has expressed its willingness to operate flights to India subject to getting permission from the Indian government.

( With inputs from ANI )

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