The Madras High Court today ordered notice to the central and Tamil Nadu governments on a petition seeking steps to rescue 62 fishermen from the state allegedly being treated like bonded labourers by their employer in Saudi Arabia.
Hearing a habeas corpus petition, Justices A Selvam and G Chokalingam directed the governments to file their replies by April 15.
Petitioner Thirumurugan submitted that his uncle Sethuraja and 61 other fishermen from Ramanthapuram district have been working in a fish firm owned by one Yousuf Khaleel at Ameeri Al Khalidhi in Saudi Arbabia.
Though his uncle was set to return in July 2014, he did not come back. Recently, Sethuraja and 61 others had sent messages detailing their sufferings.
They have not been given food, water, or even their salary and have been illegally detained by grabbing their passport, the petitoner alleged.
The District Collector of Ramanathapuram had forwarded the representation of the kin of the fishermen to the External Affairs Ministry and other officials but to no avail, he added.
He prayed to the court to direct the officials to take steps to rescue the stranded fishermen and bring them home.
