Delhi HC issues notice in a petition seeking the evacuation of Indian citizens from Bangladesh in the wake of the Covid- 19

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A Division Bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Talwant Singh of the Delhi High Court issued a notice in a petition seeking the evacuation of Indian citizens, particularly students, from Bangladesh in the wake of the global novel Coronavirus, COVID-19, out-break.

Prior Facts:

Advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal had moved the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) Petition before the High Court after he received a WhatsApp message from an Indian student in Bangladesh on the night of March 25, seeking his help for evacuation. The Message from the Bangladesh stated that students were stuck in a university campus, without masks and sanitizers and nowhere to go due to the lockdown. The message stated that students were stuck in a university campus, without masks and sanitizers and nowhere to go due to the lockdown. The next morning, he also received an email stating the same.

Key Features:

  • The proceedings were conducted through video-conferencing.
  • The Petition states that there are around 581 Indian students in Bangladesh whose welfare and well-being was at stake.
  • In total 580 Indian medical students stranded in Bangladesh.
  • Bansal seeks a direction to the Central Government to forthwith initiate steps for the safe and secure return of Indian students who are feeling unsafe in this difficult time in Bangladesh.
  • The plea sought a direction to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to forthwith take steps for a safe and secure return on Indian citizens who are stuck in Bangladesh.
  • It said that Most of the students are residents of Jammu and Kashmir.
  • A student wrote in an e-mail sent to Bansal that, “As there is complete lockdown now so we would not even get any supplies. You have also closed doors for us. Please help us reach back home. Even if we die, we would like to die in front of our parents”.
  • It said that The MEA be directed to formulate guidelines for time-bound action by the nodal officers so that Indians feel safe during this time
  • The students told the lawyers that their mess is closed and they are left with a few snacks which may last only for a week and there are no facilities by which they can prevent them from getting infected.
  • The ministries were represented through the central government’s standing counsel Jasmeet Singh.

Judgement:

The Delhi High issued notice to the Central Government and sought an affidavit stating the steps taken by it for the well-being of the Indian students stuck in Bangladesh.

The matter would be heard next on March 30.

Edited by J. Madonna Jephi

Approved & Published – Sakshi Raje

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Vaibhav Goyal
Vaibhav Goyal is a 3rd year BA.LLB (H) student of UILS, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. He also basically belongs to the “City Beautiful-Chandigarh”. He had interned and have work experience at various Central and State Government bodies of India including the National Human Rights Commission, New Delhi; the Central Information Commission, New Delhi; U.T. Legal Services Authority, Chandigarh, etc. His research projects includes the study on the Right to Emergency Services (PSHRC), Resettlement of Migrant People (NHRC), Implications of RTI in Financial Institutions (CIC), etc. His publications involve articles in different fields of law like administrative, jurisprudence, etc. on online journals including the Juscholars Blog, Burnished Law Journal, etc. His research paper on Prison Reform was published in the Panjab University Journal and his paper was selected in category of best abstract on the topic of Naxalism: A State of Lawlessness and Arbitrariness. He had scored well in various competitions of law consisting of Quiz, Essay Writing, Lecture, Declamation, etc. He had also participated in various conferences including the World Law Forum Conference on Strategic Lawsuits on Public Participation held in New Delhi on Oct 20, 2018 and the National Law Conclave 2020 held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on Jan 11, 2020.