Coronavirus: SC to hear plea seeking evacuation of 860 Indian fisherman from Iran

A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court urging it to direct the central government to bring back around 860 fishermen stranded on boats near the Iranian shore due to restrictions imposed globally to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

The plea, scheduled to be heard through video-conferencing on Monday by a bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde, has also sought a direction to the government to send a medical team to conduct COVID-19 test on the fishermen.

It has claimed that the fishermen, who are mostly from Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Gujarat, are stranded in boats on the shores of Bandar-e Moqam and Lavan Island in Hormozgan province of Iran.

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It has claimed none of the 860 persons have got COVID-19 infection so far but they are stranded in sub-standard human conditions without proper food or water. Their immediate evacuation is required to stop them from contracting the virus and also to prevent them from dying due to starvation or dehydration, the plea said.

The plea, filed by the wife of one of the stranded fishermen, has sought that the Centre ensure adequate food, water and medicines are provided to them.

"It is essential to state that even if they are infected, they should be brought back to India and kept in necessary quarantine conditions as they will at least be provided food and water which is a primordial requirement for recovery," the plea said.

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