The Ministry of External Affairs made submissions before the Delhi HC informing about a 24×7 helpline that has been established for Indian Nationals stranded abroad and are unable to travel to India owing to a nationwide lockdown.
The Division Bench comprising of Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Navin Chawla was apprised of this information in a plea seeking evacuation of an Indian student stranded in Edinburgh, Scotland who was unable to come back due to the MEA’s advisory. The petitioner, Mr. Jagdeep Singh Bakshi also demanded the availability of protective gear including masks and sanitizers for the stuck student. It was also stated that no physical help had reached the son in lieu of his plea.
While apprising the Court about the 24×7 helpline, Mr. Amit Mahajan, appearing for MEA submitted that the GOI along with the Government of United Kingdom have taken steps to disseminate relevant information through online portals including websites, social media and other platforms. The son stranded abroad was also personally contacted by the Consulate General of India, Edinburgh regarding the dissemination of all relevant information pertaining to the outbreak and was extended online help and access to telephone numbers to deal with the existing outbreak.
A status submitted by Mr. Mahajan further reaffirmed the comfortable stay of the son in question. Apart from this, assurance was given by the MEA that the Consulate General of India at Edinburgh is constantly working to help stranded Indians by way of contacting student’s associations, community groups by way of providing food and arranging proper accommodation. It further stated that the Indian High Commission and the Indian National Students Association (UK) are working closely to address specific, Indian nationals related issues across UK during this lockdown.
In light of the aforementioned submissions, the court deemed it fit to not pass any further directions in this petition with liberty to the petitioner to approach the court again in future if need be.
