The Supreme Court on Friday posted in April the hearing of a plea filed by the mother of an Army officer seeking direction to the Centre to take immediate steps through diplomatic channels for repatriation of her son, who is lodged in jail in Pakistan for last over 23 years.
A bench of Chief Justice of India NV Ramana and Justices AS Bopanna and Justice Hima Kohli agreed to list the matter in the first week of April, after advocate Saurabh Mishra, appearing for the petitioner sought an urgent listing of the matter.
The petition filed by 82-year-old Kamla Bhattacharjee, mother of Captain Sanjit Bhattacharjee, sought directions to the authorities to intervene in the case on an "urgent humanitarian basis" through diplomatic channels of the External Affairs Ministry and intervene in his case.
In March last year, a bench headed by the then Chief Justice of India SA Bobde had issued notice to the Centre in the case.
The plea stated that her son, who was commissioned as an officer of Gorkha Rifles Regiment of Indian Army in August 1992, was lodged in Pakistan's jail.
The family was informed in April 1997 that her son, who had gone for patrolling duty on the border at night time in Gujarat's Rann of Kutch, was apprehended by the Pakistan authorities while carrying out operation reconnaissance along the international borders on April 20.
It added that the petitioner's family is entitled to be apprised with information, apropos the steps that have been taken by authorities in the past 23 years to ensure justice to the Army officer, who has been languishing in jail for past over two decades in Pakistan, especially in the absence of any case registered against him.
( With inputs from ANI )
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