Plea In Kerala HC Seeking Direction To Centre To Evacuate Indian Citizens Stranded In UAE [Read Petition]

The Kerala High Court was moved in a writ petition on Thursday for a direction to the Union Ministries of External Affairs and of Civil Aviation for permission for chartered flights to operate aircrafts from the UAE to India to evacuate the Indian citizens stranded in UAE.

The petitioners, Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre, Dubai (which claims to be the largest Indian-orign NGO in Dubai) and a UAE based travel service provider, have urged that the plea is of utmost urgency as many of the Indian citizens stranded in UAE are on Tourist visas or on transit visas and have already expired their permitted period of stay.

Further, it is averred that there are other categories of citizens who because of their entitlement of leave from work, as also certain other categories requires immediate medical attention and are also stranded in UAE.

"The petitioners had communicated this to Consul General of India in Dubai who has acknowledged the said fact and also has stated that the Indian embassy in UAE is awaiting permission from New Delhi. The petitioners have also represented to the Ministry for External Affairs as also the Chief Minister of Kerala. But no positive action has come so far", it is narrated.

The plea clarifies that the petitioners are not asking for a direction to the Union of India to operate a chartered flight to evacuate the stranded citizens, as Emirates Airlines, which is the official airline of the Dubai government has expressed its willingness to operate flights to India subject to getting permission from the Indian government.

"It had come out in news that Air India had operated flights from various situations in India including cochin to evacuate the stranded German citizens back to Germany. It had also come in news that Government of Oman has charted a flight to take their citizens back to their country", reads a portion of the petition.

The petitioners assert that the directions prayed here are also on similar lines- for the citizens of India stranded in the UAE to be brought back. It is lamented that many Indian citizens are suffering in labour camps in the UAE because of non-employment and non-availability of basic amenities- "Article 21 of the Constitution of India demands that such citizens be brought back to their county to alleviate their sufferings"

It is submitted that "strict conditions may be imposed for eligibility of persons who could travel to India as also the quarantine conditions to be imposed on arrival in India".

The Petition has been filed through Advocates Haris Beeran, OA Nuriya and M .Muhammed Shafi.

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[Read Petition]