Prime Minister Scott MorrisonPrime Minister Scott Morrison

Khushi

Australian Federal Court agreed to hear a challenge on the country’s controversial travel ban on citizens returning from coronavirus-infected India. 

A Federal Court said it would urgently hear a case brought by a 73-year-old man living in Bangalore who wants to return home.

This week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison banned arrivals from India, which is recording hundreds of thousands of new coronavirus infections every day. 

Australian citizens who return home during the restriction are likely to face jail time and hefty fines under the new laws. 

The move has sparked widespread outrage, with Morrison’s own allies calling it racist and abandonment of vulnerable Australians overseas.

It was argued by the conservative government that the ban is necessary to keep Australia’s quarantine facilities from becoming overburdened with Covid-positive arrivals. 

The 73-year-old man’s lawyer, Christopher Ward, said his client was challenging the ban on several grounds, including ‘Constitutionality, proportionality, and reasonableness.’ 

Justice Stephen Burley ordered that a further hearing date would be set in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Although there is no widespread community transmission of Covid-19 in Australia, several outbreaks have emerged from hotel quarantine facilities, causing city lockdowns. 

There are an estimated 9,000 Australian citizens in India, including prominent cricketers from the now-suspended Indian Premier League.

The ban is currently set to last until May 15.

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