Here are five instances when courts stepped in to clear roadblocks for Indians to be brought back home safe and sound.
“Please take all steps to bring him back,” said Justice Sachin Datta of the Delhi High Court on December 8. He was hearing a petition filed by his mother, Hasinaben Samsudinbhai Majothi. The bench also directed the union government to take urgent steps to ensure his safe return.
The court further observed that the student was coerced to join the Russian Army. It also outlined the need for prompt diplomatic action to bring him back safely
Detained in Abu Dhabi
Major Vikrant Kumar Jaitly, former Indian Army officer and brother of actor Celina Jaitly has been in detention in Abu Dhabi of the United Arab Emirates since September 6 2024. The Delhi High Court, on December 4, directed the union ministry of external affairs to facilitate his communication with her sister.
The court was hearing a plea filed by the actor seeking effective legal representation and basic information regarding her brother’s welfare and legal status. She approached the court seeking a direction to the Indian authorities to provide legal and medical assistance to her brother.
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The plea claimed that he was “illegally abducted and detained” in the UAE last year. According to the petition, he as been residing in the UAE since 2016 and was working with the MATITI Group, which deals in trading, consultancy, and risk-management services.
It further alleged that despite the passage of more than a year, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has been unable to secure clear information about his condition or legal proceedings.
Deported to Bangladesh
Sunali Khatoon, a pregnant woman, and her eight-year-old son were caught by Delhi police in an ‘identity verification drive’ following which they were deported to Bangladesh in June. The Centre on December 3 informed the Supreme Court that she will be brought back to India “humanitarian grounds”.
This came after the court’s intervention. Solicitor general Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, informed the court that the government had agreed to bring back Sunali and her child purely on humanitarian grounds and that they would be kept under surveillance.
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The bench was hearing an appeal filed by the Centre challenging a Calcutta High Court direction to bring back persons deported from West Bengal to Bangladesh.
Father of Khatoon, Bhodu Sheikh had approached Calcutta High Court after his daughter was detained by the Delhi Police and was deported to Bangladesh in June amid an ‘identity verification drive’.
Sheikh in his plea said that he is a permanent resident of West Bengal and an Indian citizen hailing from Paikar village in Birbhum district of West Bengal. However, they had been living and working in New Delhi as ragpickers for two decades. Khatun, who sells utensils, married Danish, a resident of Delhi.
Death Row in Yemen
Nimisha Priya was sentenced to death in 2020 for murder of her business partner, a resident of Yemen in 2017. Following this, an organization formed with an aim to save her, ‘Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council’ approached the top court requesting to intervene in the matter earlier this year.
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In October, the Centre informed the Supreme Court that her execution in Yemen has been stayed. The top Indian court has listed the matter in January 2026.
The court was hearing a plea seeking direction to the Centre to use diplomatic channels to save the 38-year-old nurse, who hailed from Palakkad in Kerala. She was sentenced to death in 2020 and her final appeal was rejected in 2023. The nurse is imprisoned in a jail in the Yemen capital Sana’a.
Her execution was scheduled on July 16. The Centre had informed the court on July 18 that efforts were on and the government was trying everything to ensure Priya’s safety.
Death sentence in Indonesia
Raju Muthukumaran, Selvadurai Dinakaran and Govindasamy Vimalkandhan were sentenced to death in Indonesia in April. The Delhi High Court in May ordered Centre to provide adequate legal representation to three Indian nationals who are on death row in Indonesia.
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The court was hearing a petition filed by wives of the three Indian Nationals who were given death penalty by an Indonesian Court for the offence committed under the local Indonesian law concerning possession of narcotics.
It directed the Indian Consulate in Indonesia to take requisite steps to ensure that the convicted Indian nationals are give legal representation.
The court also ordered the Consulate to facilitate communication between the convicted individuals and their families here.
