Providing assistance to Indians on death row in Indonesia: Centre to Delhi HC
The court, hearing a petition by the spouses of three Indians convicted in Indonesia, asked for a status report and posted the hearing on August 4
NEW DELHI: The Centre on Tuesday informed the Delhi High Court that the Indian embassy in Indonesia was assisting, including legal aid, to the three Indians on death row in the foreign country.
Justice Sachin Datta was assured by the Centre's counsel that the authorities would continue with the assistance.
The court, hearing a petition by the spouses of three Indians convicted in Indonesia, asked for a status report and posted the hearing on August 4.
Raju Muthukumaran, Selvadurai Dinakaran and Govindasamy Vimalkandhan, all hailing from Tamil Nadu, were arrested in July 2024 for allegedly smuggling 106 kilogram of crystal meth aboard the Legend Aquarius cargo vessel.
They were awarded the death penalty by the Tanjung Balai Karimun District Court, Indonesia, on April 25 for violation of narcotics law.
On May 2, the high court directed the Indian consulate in Indonesia to ensure the Indian nationals were given adequate legal aid to pursue remedies.
On Tuesday, the Centre's lawyer said even before the directions, the embassy took steps towards availing the legal remedies and adequate assistance to the convicts.
The vice consul of the Indian embassy in Indonesia, on his own, filed the ‘intent to appeal’ against the conviction of the petitioners' spouses on May 2, as the families were unable to do so, and the appeal would also be filed in a few days, the counsel added.
"The embassy is in the process of engaging a lawyer. In a few days, we will give details. We are in touch with the authorities diplomatically also," the lawyer said.
The Centre's lawyer further revealed that consular access was granted and the embassy was in touch with the Indonesian authorities since July 2024.
The wives of the three men said their spouses were breadwinners who worked at the shipping company in Singapore, and they were of limited means.
They pointed out that the limitation period for pursuing the appellate remedy was very stringent, and requisite steps were required to be taken immediately, in addition to appropriate assistance to the death row convicts.
