Ukraine Crisis: 'Use your good offices to help stranded students,' SC tells Attorney General

The Supreme Court of India. (File image)

The Supreme Court on March 3 requested the Attorney General for India, KK Venugopal, to use his good offices to help evacuate around 250 students stranded in Ukraine amid the ongoing invasion by Russia.

This came after an urgent petition before the bench headed by the Chief Justice of India highlighted the plight of the nearly 250 medical students stranded along the Romanian border in sub-zero temperature without food and shelter.

"Our sympathies are with the students and the government of India is doing all it can (to evacuate Indian citizens)... let us ask the Attorney General what more can be done," Chief Justice of India NV Ramana said.

"We can't ask Putin to stop the war," Ramana rued.

Responding to the court, Venugopal said the government had stationed one minister each in certain countries neighbouring Ukraine to facilitate the evacuation of Indian citizens once they cross the border. Moreover, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken to Russia President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy regarding the ongoing situation, Venugopal added.

The students in question are stranded in Ukraine's Odessa, near the Romanian border. According to the petitioner's lawyer, they are being prevented from crossing the border.

Viewing the situation, the top court urged the Attorney General to liaise with the government and use his good offices to look into the evacuation of these students.