Pro-active steps being taken by Center to help woman for son's medical treatment in Australia: Delhi HC

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Friday noted that the Centre was taking pro-active steps in providing all possible help to a mother who has sought direction to provide medical assistance and supervise the treatment of her son suffering from a life threatening health condition in Australia.

The court was informed by the Centre that visa and travel exemption approval form, required due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, has been granted by the Australian embassy to the mother.

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"In view of the above, I find the government is taking pro-active steps in the matter. The writ petition is disposed of with liberty to the petitioner to file a fresh petition in case the need arises," Justice Navin Chawla said.

Centre government standing counsel Ajay Digpaul informed the court that though visa and travel exemption has been granted to the woman, they have now received a fresh application from the family seeking to arrange for repatriation of the son to India.

He said the government is looking into the issue and extending all possible help to the family.

Advocate Gurinder Pal Singh, representing the woman, said repatriation of the son is an alternate prayer considering that there are no flights to Australia and even after visa clearance, the mother will be unable to go there.

The Centre had earlier also told the court that the Indian Consulate was looking in the matter and three officers have been dedicated for it to provide best possible help and that an Indian origin's doctor has also been asked to visit the patient in the hospital in Australia.

The woman, a widow, has sought direction to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to provide all medical assistance and supervise the treatment of her son who is hospitalised in Melbourne with end-stage renal failure requiring dialysis and is in a critical situation.

The woman, Inderjeet Kaur, said her son Arshdeep Singh had gone to Australia in 2018 to pursue higher studies on a student visa and on June 9, 2021, she came to know that he has been admitted to a hospital there.

She submitted that she along with a relative has already applied for an urgent visa and sought direction to the MEA to extend help and facilitate them in getting tourist visa from the Australian High Commission, so that she can reach there as soon as possible to look after her son.

The plea said they have also submitted their travel exemption approval form required due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

It said despite there being extreme urgency, the petitioners have not heard anything on their visa applications nor there has been any response either from the Australian High Commission in India or from the MEA. 

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