Plea filed by returned expatriates for providing free legal aid to initiate legal action for compensation against a cargo company based in Dubai; High Court of Kerala issues notice in the matter
Kochi: The Hon’ble High Court of Kerala has issued notice in a Writ Petition filed by some expatriates who returned to Kerala from UAE, seeking direction to the Ambassador, Embassy of India, UAE to consider the grievances of the petitioners and to provide free legal aid to initiate legal action for compensation against M/s Ruby Cargo, a cargo company based in Dubai, UAE. This Writ Petition was filed through the President of PLC Global, Adv. Jose Abraham.
The factual matrix of the petition is that the petitioners, who had lost their livelihood during this pandemic period, had assigned M/s Ruby Cargo to ship their belongings to Kerala. The petitioners were back from UAE to India, but their valuable possessions had not reached their destinations much after the promised period. It is during a self enquiry that the petitiones came to know that a massive fire broke out in the warehouse of the cargo company and all the possessions of the petitioners were completely destroyed.
The petitioners on knowing that their prized goods and valuable possessions were ruined in fire, sent representations to the Principal Secretary, NORKA , who in turn forwarded that representation to the Ambassador, Embassy of India, Abu Dhabi, UAE, back on 1-10-2020. The petitioners had also forwarded a detailed representation to the Indian Embassy in UAE. The petition highlights that no action was taken on the representations by the above named offices and that has compelled them to approach the Hon’ble High Court of Kerala with the Writ Petition.
The Writ Petition in light of the judgement passed by the High Court of Kerala in a previously filed Writ Petition by PLC titled as Pravasi Legal Cell v Union of India, wherein the Hon’ble Court had held that the existing mechanism already in place to provide legal remedy for the aggrieved expatriates should be used for providing legal aid, prays to direct the Indian Embassy to provide legal aid to initiate legal action for compensation against the cargo company.