Madras HC Directs Govt to Report on Pilgrims Missing in Nepal Floods

The Madras High Court in Chennai on Wednesday directed the Union and Tamil Nadu governments to file a detailed report regarding the steps taken and efforts underway to trace and rescue pilgrims from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry who went missing following catastrophic flash floods in Nepal.

The First Bench, comprising Chief Justice S A Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan, issued the directive during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation plea. The petition, filed by advocate A F Parvesh Mushraf, was transferred to the principal bench in Chennai from the Madurai Bench.

When the matter came up for hearing, Advocate General Vijay Narayan presented the current status of the rescue operations to the court. He submitted that out of 305 people who had embarked on the Kailash Yatra, 220 pilgrims were traced, rescued, and sent back to their native places. He noted that active steps continue to be taken to trace and rescue the remaining 85 people who are unaccounted for.

The Advocate General also informed the bench that relatives of these 85 missing individuals, including Justice V Sivagnanam, a former judge of the Madras High Court, were taken to Kathmandu at government expense.

In the petition, Parvesh Mushraf sought a judicial direction ordering the Union and Tamil Nadu governments to carry out all necessary and expeditious measures to trace, locate, and rescue all remaining pilgrims stranded following the disaster.

After hearing the submissions, the bench directed the Union and state governments to file a detailed report on the rescue operations and posted the matter for further hearing next week.