The Ministry of External Affairs Thursday informed the Delhi High Court that the grave of an Indian citizen, who died in Saudi Arabia in January and a month later was buried there regardless of being a Hindu and with out his household’s consent, has been positioned.
It additional knowledgeable the court docket that authorized proceedings have additionally been initiated in Jizan area on his household’s behalf by the Indian consulate for return of his mortal stays.
Director of Consular, Passport and Visa Division of MEA, Vishnu Kumar Sharma informed the court docket that parallel diplomatic efforts will proceed with Saudi Arabia within the meantime for the return of Sanjeev Kumar’s mortal stays. The matter, at current, is pending with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior, the court docket was informed.
The authorized proceedings in Jizan have been initiated after Kumar’s household gave energy of legal professional to one of many officers of the Indian consulate in Saudi Arabia and the listening to within the case is but to be fastened, the court docket was informed.
According to the petition filed by Kumar’s spouse Anju Sharma, he had been working as a truck driver in Saudi Arabia for the previous 23 years and died in January after a cardiac arrest.
After his loss of life, his mortal stays have been stored in Beesh General Hospital, Jizan. Sharma, as per the petition, was requested to execute an influence of legal professional for finishing the formalities of repatriation of the mortal stays and the identical was completed on January 28. However, she was knowledgeable on February 18 that he has been buried there resulting from a mistake within the translation of loss of life certificates which recognized his faith as ‘Muslim’.
Anju Sharma is from Himachal Pradesh’s Una district.
The MEA officers had earlier informed the court docket that the interpretation of the loss of life certificates was completed by Kumar’s employer however similar is inconsequential because the authorities in Saudi Arabia have been privy to his faith since he has been buried in a Non-Muslim cemetry. The court docket was additionally informed that the Indian Consulate is normally knowledgeable concerning the loss of life of an Indian citizen and the physique shouldn’t be buried until an NOC is issued by the Consulate.
However, Kumar’s physique was buried with out informing the Indian consulate, maybe as a result of Covid-19 protocol, the officers informed the court docket.