The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a plea filed by the mother of an Army officer seeking direction to the Centre to take immediate steps through diplomatic channel for repatriation of her son, who is lodged in jail in Pakistan for last over 23 years.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde issued notice and sought response from the Centre on the petition filed by 81-year-old Kamla Bhattacharjee, mother of Captain Sanjit Bhattacharjee, seeking directions to the authorities to intervene in the case on an urgent humanitarian basis .
The plea said the petitioner had received information that Sanjit, who was commissioned as an officer of Gorkha Rifles Regiment of Indian Army in August 1992, was lodged in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail.
The petitioner said that her family was informed in April 1997 that her son, who had gone for patrolling duty at night time on a joint border in Gujarat’s Rann of Kutch, was apprehended by the Pakistan authorities while carrying out operation reconnaissance along the international borders on April 20.