Committed to bringing back all stranded Indians abroad, Centre tells High Court
Chennai: The Centre on Friday informed the Madras high court that it is committed to bringing back all Tamils stranded aboard in a phased manner.
It further undertook to operate as many flights as possible to evacuate the last Indian stranded abroad due to the COVID-19 induced lockdown.
"The government has proposed to operate 792 flights in phase V all over the world and out of which 127 flights are to be operated for Tamil Nadu alone. These operations shall be from August 4 to August 31, " the Centre said.
The submissions were made in the plea moved by DMK seeking direction to the state government to permit operation of such rescue flights to Tamil Nadu.
When the plea came up on Friday, a division bench of Justice M M Sundresh and Justice R Hemalatha recorded the submissions and disposed of the plea.
In a memo filed by the Centre, it was submitted that the ministry of external affairs has operated 1,248 flights the world over in Phase-I, Phase-II, and Phase-III.
This apart, it has proposed 1,203 flights in Phase-IV as of July 28 of which 130 flights are operated to Tamil Nadu.
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Remarks against St Francis Xavier: Right-wing speaker Gautam Khattar gets bail
Panaji (PTI): A court in Goa on Saturday granted bail to right-wing speaker Gautam Khattar, who was arrested after he allegedly made derogatory comments against St Francis Xavier.
Judicial Magistrate First Class, Vasco, granted regular bail to Khattar, currently admitted to Goa Medical College and Hospital at Bambolim for treatment of chest pain after he was shifted from the District Hospital in Mapusa two days back.
A row erupted after a video of remarks by Khattar, the founder of Sanatan Mahasangh, at an event on April 18 in the presence of Swami Brahmeshanand, State Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho and BJP MLAs Sankulp Amonkar and Daji (Krishna) Salkar, went viral.
St Francis Xavier is revered as the patron saint of Goa.
The controversial remarks led to the Vasco Police registering an FIR against Khattar on charges of hurting religious sentiments and creating enmity between groups.
He was detained in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, by local police. His custody was later handed over to the Goa Crime Branch, according to officials.
