Indian jailed in Pakistan moves apex court

The Supreme Court today asked Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium to take "instructions" from the central government on a petition filed by a Punjab resident seeking his release from a jail in Pakistan.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium to take "instructions" from the central government on a petition filed by a Punjab resident seeking his release from a jail in Pakistan.

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Petitioner Gopal Dass, who hails from Gurdaspur district of Punjab, has sought his release from Lahore's Kot Lakhpat central jail and return to India.

The apex court bench of Justice Markandey Katju and Justice T.S. Thakur initially asked the petitioner, who moved the court through his brother Anand Vir, to approach the Pakistani government.

However, the court’s directions to the solicitor general came after petitioner's counsel Arvind Sharma said that they did approach the Pakistani government but the Indian authorities refused to do anything.

He told the court that the authorities refused to accept Dass as an Indian national.

Justice Thakur said that such a matter entirely rests on the state of diplomatic relations between two countries.

When the petitioner insisted for an early hearing of the case, the court said: "We have heard you. We will give a date."

In 2005, Dass completed his sentence of life imprisonment but is still languishing in a jail in Pakistan.

The Pakistan government decided to release him August 14, 2007 but the Indian government allegedly did not take any action in the matter.

The petitioner said his release was possible only through diplomatic channels.

He sought the court’s direction to the central government to take "immediate and necessary" steps for his release and repatriation from the Pakistani jail.