250 pregnant medical practitioners approach SC, seeking urgent repatriation from KSA
Sanisha Thomas & Ors v. Union of India & Ors, 27th April, 2020
250 Pregnant women who serve as nurses and doctors in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia approached the Hon’ble Supreme Court seeking immediate repatriation. The petitioners were in dire need of returning to the country being in advanced stages of pregnancy and had no familial support in Saudi Arabia.
The group of petitioners had booked air tickets prior to the lockdown period to travel to India, but got stranded due to the travel embargo. The Writ petition highlighted the pathos of not just the petitioners, but of all those similarly placed. The petition highlighted the urgency of the matter caused by the fact that all the petitioners were in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy and would not be in a position to travel once they enter the 36th week of gestation.
The petition also mentioned about the difficulties they would face to consult a gynecologist as they would have to travel about 200 km or more from their hospitals, which are situated in remote areas of Saudi Arabia. The difficulty has been aggravated by the decision of the hospital to treat Covid-19 patients alone for the time-being.
It was also rightly pointed out in the petition that urgent intervention was required in the issue as it was a matter of life of not just the petitioners but also of their unborn children. The petition prayed the SC to direct the respondents to make appropriate arrangements to rescue and bring the petitioners back to India immediately. It also prayed to issue directions to the Embassy of India in KSA to take appropriate measures to ensure that petitioners have access to proper medical facilities while they travel to India.
Status of the Matter: On 8th May, 2020, Supreme Court disposed off the matter with a direction to the Centre to take appropriate steps to grant priority in the repatriation process to woman whose pregnancy is in advance stages. Pursuant to the intervention of the Hon’ble Supreme Court, Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India took this matter seriously and pregnant women got priority in the repatriation process eventually. It was another major victory for the efforts of Pravasi Legal Cell during the Covid times. Relying upon the judgment passed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court, Various High Courts issued similar orders to protect the interests of pregnant Indian women emigrants.