The bench of Chief Justice SA Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan issued the directions on a public interest litigation filed by a lawyer, Parvesh Mushraf, seeking directions to the Union Government and the State Government to coordinate with the competent search and rescue authorities in Nepal and the concerned private travel operators to take all necessary and expeditious measures and trace, locate and rescue all remaining Tamils in Nepal.

The petitioner alleged that there was no authoritative, person-wise verification of the status of each pilgrim. He argued that the lives of pilgrims were at stake, including that of a retired judge of the High Court.

The petitioner submitted that media reports on the number of missing persons would not be treated as an official or authenticated report and there was a necessity for a comprehensive, official, person-wise list clearly distinguishing those already rescued and safe, along with those hospitalised or under medical care, and those still unaccounted for, so that their families are not left to guess the fate of their family member.

The petitioner also submitted that since the communication infrastructure in the flood-affected areas has been severely damaged, it is practically impossible for the families in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry to independently verify the safety of their relatives. He pointed out that there was a possibility that some pilgrims might still be unaccounted for.

When the matter was taken up on Tuesday, the State Government informed that it had taken all possible efforts to locate the missing pilgrims and bring them to the country, in coordination with the Central Government and Indian Embassy in Kathmandu. It was also submitted that officials from Tamil Nadu were present in Kathmandu and coordinating with the Indian Embassy, Nepal authorities and relatives of the pilgrims.

The State also submitted that in some cases, where the pilgrims remained untraceable, the families were given assistance to travel to Nepal. The State assured the court that effective steps were underway to rescue all the Tamils stuck in Nepal and bring them home safely.

The court directed the State to file a detailed report and adjourned the plea.

Case Title: AF Parvesh Mushraf v The Union of India and Others

Case No: WP (MD) 25026 of 2026