SC asks government to appoint officer to handle Indian hostages abroad

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today asked the Centre to consider appointing a nodal officer in its External Affairs Ministry to coordinate and oversee efforts in ensuring release of Indians abducted by deadly terror outfit ISIS in Iraq.

A bench comprising Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justices M Y Eqbal and R Banumathi asked the MEA to entrust the task to an official and disposed of a PIL on the issue.

The PIL, filed by Delhi-based lawyer Gaurav K Bansal, said that as per an RTI reply from Indian Embassy in Baghdad, about 40 Indians are still missing in war-ravaged Iraq since 2014.

The bench, however, did not issue notice on the PIL and disposed it of with the observation that the Centre may consider appointing a Nodal Officer.

Besides various reliefs, the plea had sought a direction to the Centre to "forthwith intervene and expedite the process of release" of Indians held hostages in Iraq.