Kerala HC directs repatriation of two Lankan nationals

Kochi: Kerala high court, noting that the continued detention of two Sri Lankan nationals without any case against them would amount to a deprivation of their right to life and liberty, ordered the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO), Thiruvananthapuram, to take immediate steps to facilitate their return to their native land within two weeks.Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas issued the order while considering a petition filed by Thenu Jeyapriyan from Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, along with his 17-year-old sister, challenging their detention and seeking a direction to the authorities to facilitate their return journey. The petitioners are the children of Jayaseelan, a Sri Lankan national, and his wife Satyapriya, who were arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), along with 20 others, for allegedly entering the country illegally without valid documents on Sept 6, 2022, from Vaddy Beach in Kollam.At the time of their arrest, both petitioners were minors. Since their arrest, they have been detained in a building of the Gandhibhavan International Trust at Pathanapuram in Kollam district, which functions as a transit home. The petitioners have been staying at the transit home for more than two years. As they are not involved in any criminal offence, they approached HC seeking a declaration that their continued detention is illegal and a direction to the authorities to take immediate steps to facilitate their return to Sri Lanka.Subsequently, the central govt informed HC that the petitioners were not required by any investigating agency and that it had no objection to their exit from the country. Accordingly, the court directed the FRRO to initiate steps to repatriate the petitioners within two weeks.