SC seeks govt’s reply on plea for evacuating students stuck in UK

NEWDELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought response from the Centre on a plea for immediate evacuation of all Indian students who are stranded in the United Kingdom (UK) amid the lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic.

The plea has said that governments of the UK and Germany have approached the Centre to facilitate return of their nationals stranded in India due to lockdown here and, as per media reports, flights would be operated in the near future from Mumbai and New Delhi for this purpose.

The petition, filed by Delhibased advocate Madhurima Mridul, said that the government should be directed to ensure that flights ferrying British nationals from India to the UK be used to evacuate Indian students who are stranded there and are willing to come back.

A bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justice L Nageswara Rao asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to take instructions on the issue and posted the matter for hearing on April 13.

Advocate Sunil Fernandes appeared for the petitioner during the hearing which was conducted through video-conferencing.

The plea has also sought a direction to the government to e ns ure t hat t i l l r e qui s i t e arrangements are made for evacuation, the students stranded in the UK are provided accommodation, adequate health and medical support, if needed, by the Indian High Commission in London.

It said that many of these students are exposed to greater risk of contracting COVID-19 as they are living in packed hostels with shared kitchen and bathroom facilities during the lockdown imposed in the UK, which has so far recorded over 2,300 deaths due to coronavirus.

The plea, filed by advocate Astha Sharma, said that the government should ensure that these students are quarantined and provided with all medical and health facilities as prescribed by the World Health Organisation.