The Kerala High Court has directed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to take a decision within three months on the representation by a woman seeking the release of her son from a UAE prison where he is serving a 10-year jail term, since 2015, for allegedly spying for the Indian government.

Justice P V Kunhikrishnan directed the ministry to consider the woman's representation made in June 11 last year, "as expeditiously as possible, at any rate within a period of three months from the date of receipt of a copy of the judgment".

The Court in its order also directed the MEA to give an online hearing to her before taking a final decision and with these directions disposed of the woman's plea seeking legal aid for him in UAE and to bring him back to India.

The woman's son, Shihani Meera Sahib Jamal Mohammed, was awarded a 10-year jail term in August 2015 and the sentence was upheld by the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal, the central government had informed the court in December last year.

It had also told the court that the mother, Shahubanath Beevi, may have to wait till 2025 to see her son as he would be released in September 2025 and then deported back to India.

Giving details of the steps taken by it, the Centre had told the high court that the Indian Embassy in UAE had requested the local authorities to consider the case sympathetically and pardon the sentence of Mohammed, but they declined to grant any such relief as it is a case related to the West Asian country's national security.

As there was nothing more the Embassy could do, it had updated the same on the MADAD portal and recommended that it be closed, the Centre had said.

The central government had also told the court that the emails sent to the Embassy for filing a mercy petition on behalf of Mohammed have been forwarded to the local authorities concerned for their sympathetic consideration.

The submissions by the Centre were made in a statement filed in the court in response to Shahubanath Beevi's plea, filed through advocate Jose Abraham, seeking legal support for her son.

The woman had claimed that her son has been subjected to "severe torture and harassment" and he did not get any kind of support from the Indian Embassy there or the central government.

The woman, in her plea, had also claimed that according to the judgements passed by the UAE courts in the matter, her son was "acting for the Indian Embassy officials in UAE".

The woman had alleged that her son was not even provided proper legal aid to defend himself in the Courts there.



With PTI inputs

Kerala High Court

Verdictum News Desk