With COVID-19 lockdown delaying the final hearing on a plea seeking Rs 1 crore as compensation in a traffic accident case, an Italian woman has approached the Kerala High Court seeking an extension of visa.
The court has ordered the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) of Kochi to consider her application for extension. Justice Anu Sivaraman issued the order after considering a petition of Gabriela Milanesi of Bruneck.
The petitioner had come to Kochi as a tourist three years ago. While walking along the public road in Fort Kochi, Gabriela was knocked down by a private bus. She had to undergo a complex surgery on her leg and a metal implant had to be used to fix the fractured leg. Recovering from the injury, she filed a case against the bus owner before the motor accident claims tribunal, seeking a compensation of Rs 1 crore.
After waiting for the case to come up for final hearing for many months, the court finally fixed date in the last week of March. However, the court had to be closed down due to the lockdown. Faced with the expiry of visa, she filed an application for extension. In view of the COVID-19 situation, her visa was extended until June 16, but her case would now take at least two or three months to be finally heard, forcing her to approach the high court.
The central government counsel Girish Kumar informed the court that the Italian woman's visa has been extended until June 16 in view of COVID-19 and she can seek a further extension from the FRRO by producing the details of the accident compensation case. Based on the submission, the high court directed the FRRO to consider her application for extension of visa and take a decision prior to June 16.
( With inputs from ANI )