[Coronavirus] Centre assures Supreme Court of the safety of Indian citizens stranded in Qom, SC disposes of plea for evacuation

The Supreme Court yesterday disposed of the petition seeking evacuation of Indian pilgrims stranded in Iran amid the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that while some pilgrims have been brought back, others are being looked after well by the Indian Embassy in Iran..The Supreme Court, on March 27 had issued notice to the Centre on the plea to rescue stranded Indian pilgrims from Qom, Iran and had added that the Government should take all possible steps for the same in the meantime..Coronavirus: Supreme Court issues notice to Centre in plea seeking urgent humanitarian help for Indian pilgrims stranded in Qom, Iran.The Bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and MR Shah yesterday took up the matter for hearing via video conferencing, when they were told by the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that the petitioners have been airlifted and brought back to India. About 250 Indian pilgrims remain in Iran as of now, Mehta further submitted..Senior Counsel Sanjay Hegde submitted that these 250 Indians should also be repatriated to India, keeping in view their safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic..Mehta, however, told the Court that the 250 pilgrims left back in Iran have either tested positive for COVID-19 or are relatives of the infected persons who have voluntarily decided to stay back. These persons are being provided best possible facilities in Iran, the Solicitor General submitted. Mehta added that the Indian Embassy in Iran is in constant touch with the Indian citizens stranded there..Since most of the pilgrims having been brought back and given that the others were being taken care of by the Indian Embassy in Iran, Mehta submitted that the petition is rendered infructuous. .Hegde argued that many asymptomatic persons were lodged at the same hotels where infected or symptomatic persons were staying, which could lead to the further spread of the contagion..The Court, however, took note of the seriousness with which the Government of India was dealing with the situation concerning the pilgrims and opined that the Government may take the decision of bringing them back at an appropriate time. The Court, in its order, recorded,."We have been assured on behalf of the Union Government that so long as the pilgrims continue to be in Qom, steps would be taken by the Indian Embassy to ensure that they receive such assistance as is required for their safety and welfare. We expect that the issue of repatriation of these pilgrims be actively considered by the Union Government at the appropriate stages in terms of the assurance provided in the status report.".The Court, therefore, disposed of the petition, with the liberty to the petitioners to approach the Court again should the need arise..Iran is one of the countries worst hit by COVID-19, with a death toll of over 2,000. As many as 800 Indian pilgrims are stranded in the Iranian city of Qom amid the outbreak of novel Coronavirus. These pilgrims, mainly from poor financial backgrounds, were scheduled to return to India a weeks back, according to the petition.."In view of the situation mentioned above, they are stranded in Qom, Iran without any health/medical facilities and food supplies. Besides, they have been accommodated in hotel rooms in groups of 4-5."the petition had stated..According to the petitioner, it is suspected that about 250 of these pilgrims may themselves be infected by the virus and it would be nothing short of a health hazard to accommodate infected persons with others. In view of the same, a direction for the Centre to urgently evacuate all the stranded persons was sought..The petitioner was represented by Senior Counsel Sanjay Hegde assisted by Advocates Ashish Virmani and Harsha Gollamudi..[Read Order]