The J&K High Court on Wednesday directed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to "to identify the protocol and take steps to evacuate Indian students stranded in Iran".
The court also directed the MEA to ensure availability of "required material, including masks, medication and essential commodities including food etc." to all Indians, especially the stranded students.
Around 300 students from J&K are believed to be stranded in Iran. Many students in the past two weeks uploaded SOS videos online, seeking help from the Centre in their evacuation.
The court said the MEA, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Civil Aviation should “identify the protocol” for the evacuation. It was hearing a petition filed by Dr. Zahoor Hussain Mir, whose niece, Heena Sugra Shabnam, studies medicine in Iran's Tehran University. "Shabnum was supposed to return to home on February 26 on vacation. As all air traffic has been suspended, these students are facing the shortage of masks, medicines and other essential commodities," the petitioner said.
Hearing the petition, Chief justice Gita Mittal and Justice Rajesh Bindal, also passed directions to identify and ensure provision of isolation and quarantine facilities for the isolation and quarantine in the government and private sectors, and availability of testing laboratories and medication in the Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh for the prevention of COVID-19.
