Shivangi Prakash-
On Tuesday, the Ministry of External Affairs informed the Delhi High Court that the five Indian seafarers who were believed to be stranded in Iran had received assistance from the Indian Mission, and assured the Court that they will receive all essential assistance within the law.
The development arose when Justice Rekha Palli was considering a petition filed by the families of the mariners who remain stranded in Iran despite an Iranian Court’s acquittal of them in a conspiracy case.
They had requested that the Ministry of External Affairs to take up the matter with the Iranian government and repatriate them.
The plea also relies on requests made to the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy in Tehran, as well as a video message delivered to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 10, 2021, demanding his intervention in the situation.
During the hearing, Advocate Harsh Vaidyanathan, representing the Ministry, informed the Court that the Trial Court’s ruling had been overturned by the Iranian Supreme Court, and thus the petitioners’ cause for acquittal was no longer valid.
Advocate Harsh Vaidyanathan stated, “As of today, the ground raised by them on the point of acquittal no longer stays.“
Vaidyanathan added, “All five of them have been in touch with the Indian Mission and have been lodged in a hotel and provided access to telephone. Next step is going to be taken accordingly.“
Advocate Gurinder, who represented the petitioners, denied the claim, claiming that the Seafarers were placed in a hostel rather than a hotel.
Therefore three limited prayers were pressed by him: that whatever legal resources are available and a legal counsel be assigned to them for the purpose of representation; that passports and other relevant identification documents be provided to them to show that they are Indian citizens; and that a letter from the MEA stating that they are Indian citizens be issued to them.
After hearing the aforementioned submissions, the Court requested a progress report on the case and set a hearing date for October 7.
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