Madras HC disposes PIL on fishermen’s safety

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court disposed of a public interest litigation after the submission of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) that steps had been initiated to hold a meeting of India - Sri Lanka Joint Working Group (JWG) to discuss the issues facing the fishermen community.

The first bench of acting Chief Justice D Krishnakumar and Justice K Kumaresh Babu heard the PIL moved by Fishermen Care, an organisation working for the welfare of fishers.

The counsel for the petitioner submitted that recently an Indian fisherman had lost his life when his boat was toppled in an attempt to escape from the arrest by the Sri Lankan Navy. The counsel also said that such incidents are occurring repeatedly and sought to direct the Centre to find a solution for the trouble facing the Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy.

Government pleader Edwin Prabakar submitted that the state is concerned about the safety of the fishermen and also said that the Chief Minister had written to the Centre demanding to ensure the safety for the fishermen.

Deputy Solicitor General (DSG) R Rajesh submitted that until now five JWG meetings were conducted and the sixth meeting was scheduled in 2023. However, it was not materialised since the Sri Lankan government was facing a difficult time with internal issues. The Union government is pushing to convene the sixth meeting at the earliest.