New Delhi, May 4 The Supreme Court on Monday declined to grant relief to a Dubai-based Indian national who alleged harassment by local authorities there, claiming he had been wrongfully subjected to a travel ban.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi heard petitioner Asif Azad, an engineer who appeared through video conferencing from a Dubai mall, and directed him to approach the Indian Embassy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for assistance.
Azad, a permanent resident of Kerala, alleged that he was entrapped and implicated by some drug mafia and was facing a travel ban in Dubai due to a case against him in the southern state.
“We have heard the petitioner in person. We are not inclined to accept the story as stated here. Let him approach the embassy,” the bench ordered.
When Azad alleged that certain MLAs of Kerala are "against him", the CJI quipped that he should "take advantage of the changed regime".
During the proceedings, the petitioner was asked about his location, to which he responded that he was appearing in person via video conferencing from a shopping mall in Dubai.
Upon learning this, the CJI asked how far the Indian Embassy was from his current location.
When Azad replied that it was approximately 20 kilometres away, the CJI remarked, "So go to the Indian Embassy. There is public transport available."
The petitioner said that he may be caught if he goes to the embassy and alleged that a "drug mafia" had orchestrated a conspiracy against him, involving the forgery of cheques, which resulted in the Dubai courts imposing a travel ban on him.
"I am being called an illegal immigrant. They kicked me at night; the CCTV has evidence of it. Please restore my Article 21 rights," Azad said.
Azad said the investigations in the case against him in Kerala were one-sided and that no progress had been made in the probe for 41 days.
He alleged that certain MLAs of Kerala are also against him. The CJI referred to current political changes taking place in Kerala and said, "Now some change is happening as you can see on TV. So, take advantage of the changed regime".
