Judge offers to pay fine for Sri Lankan refugee

When Justice KK Sasidharan offered to pay the fine amount for the Lankan refugee, whose case was in his court, ,the Public Prosecutor(PP) promptly informed him they would go through the provisions and try to find a solution in the case. 

Petitioner Mohammed Bausar, from Kandy in Sri Lanka, had filed a writ petition stating that his son Ahamed Iqbal came to India in 2011 for medical treatment and had misplaced the passport. 

However, police arrested him for failure to possess a passport and he was slapped with a fine of Rs 50,000 by the Ramanathapuram Judicial Magistrate. He was also remanded in custody for 75 days but after the end of the term, his son could not be traced. 

Bausar also stated that meanwhile, his son’s passport was recovered but officials said his son was at the Special Refugee camp. When the Judge asked why Iqbal was not released after the period of conviction was over, the PP informed him that a fine amount of Rs.32,000 was pending and if the due was cleared, Iqbal could be released. When Judge asked Bausar to pay the fine he said that he did not have the amount to pay. 

The judge asked the PP whether he could pay the fine for Iqbal and get him released. The PP said he would go through the provisions and try to find a solution. The case has been adjourned to Friday.