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Acknowledging the urgency of the situation, especially given the narrow timeframe allowed for filing appeals in Indonesia, the court emphasized the need for immediate legal intervention to avert any irreversible consequences
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It also directed the Indian Consulate to facilitate communication between the convicted men and their families in India
In a significant intervention, the Delhi High Court has directed the Indian Consulate in Indonesia to urgently provide legal assistance to three Indian nationals who were recently sentenced to death by a court in the Southeast Asian nation. The directive was issued in response to a plea by the wives of the convicted men, who have sought the Indian government’s support to ensure fair legal representation for their spouses.
The three individuals—Raju Muthukumaran, Selvadurai Dinakaran, and Govindasamy Vimalkandhan—were handed the death penalty on April 25, 2025, by the Tanjung Balai Karimun district court in Indonesia in connection with narcotics-related offences
At the time of their arrest, the men were reportedly employed at a local shipyard and, according to the petitioners, are the sole breadwinners for their families back in India. Their families have expressed their inability to fund a legal appeal, citing financial hardship.
Presiding over the case, Justice Sachin Datta instructed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to engage diplomatically with the Indonesian authorities to uphold the rights of the Indian nationals under applicable international conventions and bilateral agreements. The MEA’s standing counsel, Ashish Dixit, accepted the notice and requested time to gather further instructions.
The matter is scheduled for further hearing on May 6, 2025.