The Centre on Friday told the Kerala High Court that it was not currently possible to bring back Indian citizens stranded in Gulf countries due to the Covid-19 pandemic, PTI reported.

A division bench comprising Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan and TR Ravi were hearing three petitions seeking directions for the return of Keralites from Gulf Cooperation Council nations. The petitioners sought special consideration for Keralites since the state government had said it was willing to take them back and quarantine them, according to Live Law.

The Centre’s counsel Suvin Menon said that the Indian government would not discriminate between states on the policy on evacuating Indians from abroad. Menon said the Centre had decided not to repatriate Indians from Covid-19 infected countries right now so that the risk of the disease spreading can be reduced. Reiterating that it cannot make exceptions for a single state, the Centre said that it has directed all its embassies to ensure Indian citizens abroad are taken care of.

The petitioners had also listed the poor health infrastructure in the Gulf nations as a reason to bring back the stranded Keralites. They had also sought permission for an expert medical team to be sent to those countries and take stock of the situation there. In response to this, the Centre’s counsel said India required the permission of the Gulf countries to send medical teams there.

The petitions were filed by Ibrahim Elemattil, president of the Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre in Dubai, one filed by a person named PP Suneer and another by AE Abdul Kalam.

The Centre also told the High Court that similar petitions were filed in the Supreme Court. The case will next be heard on April 21.

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