Widowed Mother Moves Delhi High Court Seeking Directions On MEA In Getting Visa, Providing Medical Assistance To Critical Son Abroad

A plea has been moved in the Delhi High Court by a widowed mother and another relative seeking directions on the Ministry of External Affairs for facilitating them in getting visa from the Australian High Commission for her critical son abroad and also to supervise and provide medical assistance to him.

Moved through Advocate Gurinder Pal Singh, the plea prays directions on Union of India, through Ministry of External Affairs to extend its good offices and help and facilitate the Petitioners in getting Visa Visitor(Tourist) subclass 600 from the Australian High Commission.

Arshdeep Singh had gone to Australia in 2018 in order to pursue his higher studies and on completion of the same in 2020, he was granted Bridging A Visa pursuance of which he was there since then.

His mother and brother in law, petitioners in the matter, had come to know on June 9 that Arshdeep Singh was admitted as an indoor patient in St. VincentHospital, Melbourne since June 8 and is suffering from alife threatening condition i.e. end-stage renal failure requiring dialysisand had nephrotic-range proteinuria with haematuria and that hewas at the risk of thrombosis.

In view of this, the Petitioners applied for Visa Visitor (Tourist) Sub-Class 60 on June 11 and submitted their Travel Exemption Approval Form required dueto Covid-19 global pandemic.

However, the mother had also written a letter to the High Commissioner of Australia on June 10 pointing out the critical condition of her son and that the Petitioners wanted to urgently travel to Australia to look after Arshdeep Singh and to provide him with moral support and totake all such appropriate steps for his immediate treatment as required.

"That unfortunately, despite there being extreme urgency, thePetitioners have not heard anything on their visa applications nor has there been any response either from the Australian High Commission in India nor from the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India and other officials." The plea submits.

Furthermore, it said:

"The Petitioner No.1 is the widowedmother of Arshdeep Singh. She is in great mental strain and is spending every agonising minute wishing to be by the side of herson, to look after him, give him moral support and succourneeded by him. Even otherwise, as a mother she is sufferingevery moment worrying and praying for his son, his health and his life and wants to be by his side."

The plea states the following prayers:

- Issue a Writ of Mandamus or any other writ in the nature of Mandamus, directing Union of India, through Ministry of External Affairs, Union of India to extend its good offices and help and facilitate the Petitioners in getting Visa Visitor(Tourist) subclass 600 from the Australian High Commission.

- Issue a Writ of Mandamus or any other writ in the nature ofMandamus, directing Union of India, through Ministry of External Affairs to immediately contact the aforementioned hospital authorities and to supervise the medical treatmentgiven by the said hospital authorities and to provide allmedical and other assistance needed in that regard.