From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Centre to set up an “online helpline” for the parents and families of the stranded students in Ukraine while appreciating its efforts in evacuating 17,000 stranded from the war zone there.
A Bench, headed by Chief Justice of India N V Ramana, also conveyed to the High Courts not to take up the issues pertaining to the evacuation of the students to avoid multiplicity of litigations.
The Bench, also comprising Justices A S Bopanna and Hima Kohli, took note of the submissions by Attorney General K K Venugopal that 17,000 stranded Indian students have been evacuated and the rest, approximately 7,000, are in the process of being rescued by the government.
“We are not saying a single word, anything about the efforts which you are taking. We appreciate that but at the same time, we are also concerned about the anxiety of the people,” the Bench remarked.
At the outset, the CJI termed as “unfortunate” the ongoing war by Russia on Ukraine and said conflicts can be resolved through negotiations.
“It is unfortunate we haven’t learnt lessons from history where the human race has been fighting wars and killing people and all that. Conflicts can be resolved through negotiations… We have no say in these issues. But, the anxiety for us is how to save these students,” the bench said.
Venugopal, who was asked by the bench to use his good office to help in evacuation of Bengaluru resident Fathima Ahana and several other medical students from near the Romania border in Ukraine, gave the good news to the bench that the petitioner student and others would be reaching India later in the night.
The top most law officer said that he had contacted P K Mishra, Principal secretary of the Prime Minister, on Thursday, about the girl who was unable to cross over to Romania and was stuck on Ukraine side of the border.
“The concern was communicated to P K Mishra. He communicated that to Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia), the person in charge in Romania and the telephone number of Fatima Ahana was also given…She is now in Romania,” he said, adding “I expect that she and the persons accompanying her, the other college students, will come back by tonight (Friday night).”
He also referred to a petition filed in the Rajasthan High Court on the issue and said that the Indian government is capable of seeing that these people are evacuated swiftly. The CJI told him to bring it to the notice of the High Courts that the Apex Court is seized of the matter and no meaning of every High Court entertaining and issuing directions.
