Indian's body to be brought back from Saudi tomorrow: HC told

Mohammed Afsar Ansari, hailing from Jharkhand, was allegedly killed by his employers in Saudi Arabia apparently after he wanted to return to India.

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court was on Friday informed that the mortal remains of a 27-year-old man from Jharkhand, who was allegedly killed by his employers in Saudi Arabia last year, would be brought to India on Saturday.

Justice JR Midha was apprised by the counsel appearing for the petitioner, Naushaba Bano, wife of deceased Mohammed Afsar Ansari, that the authorities in Saudi Arabia would dispatch the body and it would reach Delhi tomorrow.

"They (authorities in Saudi Arabia) are going to send the body and it will arrive here tomorrow," the counsel said after which the court disposed of the plea.

The Centre had on April 22 informed the bench that Ansari's body was likely to be brought to India from Saudi Arabia within a week.

The government had said that the Indian embassy in Riyadh has taken all steps to dispatch the body and all the formalities have been completed.

Ansari, hailing from Jharkhand, was allegedly killed last year by his employers in Saudi Arabia apparently after he wanted to return to India.

The government's submission had came on a plea by Bano who sought contempt proceedings against the officials concerned, claiming there was a delay on their part in transporting her husband's body to India as directed by the court earlier.

Her counsel had earlier told the court that Ansari's kin feared that since the Indian Embassy had issued a no objection certificate (NoC) to the employers, they may bury the body in Saudi Arabia itself.

In its status report filed in the court, the Indian Embassy had said its officials had visited the Bureau of Investigation in Saudi Arabia this month and had got a clearance from them to release the mortal remains of Ansari.

The embassy had also said that it had prepared the NoC in the name of Ansari's brother but as it was not collected by him, it was prepared in favour of an employer.