Feel bad for students: Supreme Court on plea for evacuation of Indians from Ukraine

The Supreme Court on Thursday told a counsel that the court feels bad for people who are suffering and the Indian students, who are stuck in Ukraine amid the ongoing war, but it cannot direct the Russian President to stop the war.

A plea was mentioned before a bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana claiming that the Indian government is only focussing on evacuating students from a certain part of Ukraine.

The counsel submitted that students are stranded in other parts of the war-torn country. The bench, also comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and Hima Kohli, said "What can the court do?... Can we issue a direction to the President of Russia to stop the war?"

The counsel further added that these students should also be evacuated and the government should also provide care for them.

The bench asked the counsel, "Ask, which government to take care?"

The bench said it has all sympathies with the students in Ukraine, and the Indian government is doing its work. The bench added that it will seek the Attorney General's view in the matter.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday: "Our Embassy in Ukraine is in continuous touch with Indian nationals in Ukraine... We have requested support of the Ukrainian authorities in arranging special trains for taking out students from Kharkiv and neighbouring areas to the western part of the country.

"We have been coordinating effectively with the countries in the region, including Russia, Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldova. A large number of Indian nationals have been evacuated from Ukraine in the last few days.