The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Centre to explain by 26th June the steps initiated to ensure safety of Indian students facing racial attacks in Australia and Canada and the measures taken to prevent recurrence of such incidents.A vacation bench of Justices Dalveer Bhandari and Asok Kumar Ganguly also asked the Attorney General of India to assist the court in the matter which was posted for further hearing to 29th June.
The bench, which asked the Centre to file its response in an affidavit, said the direction was being passed since the incidents had not stopped despite the fact that "the Union of India might have taken up the matter at the highest level."The apex court passed the direction while recording the submissions made by the petitioner D K Garg, an advocate, who had accused the Centre of inaction in dealing with the racial attacks on Indian students in Australia and Canada.
Garg, who had filed the PIL, claimed even though the government insists that adequate steps were being taken to protect the Indian students, a number of anxious parents were still making enquiries about the well-being of their children.He said it was a matter of serious concern that a number of Indian students were forced to leave Australia in the middle of their academic year owing to unabated attacks.
According to the petition, an estimated 97,000 Indian students are at present studying in Australia and during 2007-08, there were 1,447 victims of robberies, assaults, murder, stabbing and other forms of violence.Quoting media reports, the petition cited the instance of the way in which a student was stabbed to death and another injured with a screwdriver.The PIL pleaded that the Centre should be directed to initiate dialogue with the foreign countries to prevent recurrence of such attacks and also formulate stringent laws and regulations to ensure safety of the Indian students studying abroad.
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By : News Team
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