SC steps in to trace sailor missing after Black Sea strike, asks govt to act
The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to use diplomatic channels to trace an Indian seafarer who went missing after
The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to use diplomatic channels to trace an Indian seafarer who went missing after his cargo ship was struck by drones in the Black Sea on July 25. Hearing a plea filed by the missing man’s elder brother, the court asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to seek instructions from the Indian Embassy in Ukraine and the Embassy of India in Bucharest, Romania, and find out the whereabouts of Deepak Kumar Gupta, who was on board MV AGN Ragnar.
Read Full Story The matter has been listed for hearing on Friday. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana was hearing the petition filed by Sandeep Kumar Gupta. He sought directions to the MEA to coordinate with Indian missions in Ukraine and Romania to undertake search and rescue efforts. The plea said the family moved the court after its repeated requests to the Union of India and the Indian embassies in the two countries went unheard.
It said representations were sent to the MEA and the embassies between July 26 and July 30, but these did not receive any response or positive assurance. The petition said the 22-year-old sailor went missing after the merchant vessel, carrying Indian crew members, came under attack near Ukraine’s Odesa port. According to his family, Deepak Gupta was working as a crew member on MV AGN Ragnar. The family is originally from Siwan district in Bihar and has been living in Bharataul village in Bareilly district for several years.
The case before the Supreme Court concerns the family’s plea for official help from the MEA and Indian embassies in Ukraine and Romania to trace Deepak Kumar Gupta. Ends
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