Delhi HC notice to Centre on PIL seeking evacuation of Indian students stranded in Bangladesh

Delhi High Court on Friday issued notice to the Central government on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking the evacuation of Indian students stranded in Bangladesh amid the lockdown imposed due to the menace of coronavirus.

A division bench of Justice Siddharth Mridul and Justice Talwant Singh also directed the Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs to file an affidavit and inform the court on the steps taken by the government for ensuring the well-being of Indian students.

The PIL, filed in the Delhi High Court by Advocate Gaurav Bansal, was heard through video conferencing. The matter is slated to be heard on March 30.

The plea sought directions to appoint a nodal officer in all Indian Embassies and make public the contact number and email address of such nodal officers so that Indian citizens outside the country can contact them and seek help.

It said that the petitioner received a message wherein a medical student sought his help in evacuating Kashmiri students who are facing extreme difficulty in Bangladesh during the lockdown.

"It has been learned that there are around 581 such students in Bangladesh whose welfare and wellbeing is at stake and looking for help from the Indian authorities," the petition said.

Meanwhile, Delhi High Court had on Wednesday directed the Central government through MEA to expeditiously provide basic amenities like food, water, transportation, medical care and lodging to students stranded at Kazakhstan Airport.