Giving all help to 3 men on death row in Indonesia, MEA tells HC

On July 9, 2024, the ship, with three Indians and 10 Indonesians onboard, set sail, and the trio were detained on July 14, their family members say. Their families came to know about the arrests on WhatsApp on July 17 from news clippings shared by members of the Tamil diaspora in Singapore.

N Deepika, wife of Vimalkanthan, said that the trial began in December last year and the family engaged a lawyer in Chennai, who engaged someone in Singapore and liaised for an Indonesian local lawyer. “We did not know we can approach the government to help us, nor did they tell us they can provide us assistance,” says the 34-year-old, adding that the three families pooled in money to sustain the legal expenses so far.

She, along with 28-year-old V Deepika, wife of Dinakaran, have been staying at a women’s hostel in Delhi for the past 20 days. For them, the MEA’s assurance came as a big relief. “Our husbands are the sole breadwinners in our families,” says V Deepika.

The MEA submitted before the court that they have been providing consular access to the three men since July 2024.

The Delhi HIgh COurt directed the Indian consulate in Indonesia to take requisite steps to ensure that the Indian nationals are given adequate legal representation. On Tuesday, Justice Sachin Datta directed MEA to file a status report in four weeks and posted the matter for hearing on August 4.