219 Indians, mostly from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, killed

The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Centre to appoint a nodal officer in the Ministry of External Affairs to coordinate with the families of Indians who died, went missing or suffered injuries while fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war.

“The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) shall notify an official as the nodal officer whose details and contact number should be shared with the family members of Indian nationals who had gone to Russia… and died or injured,” a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said.

The Bench, which also included Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana, asked the MEA to arrange for the DNA tests of family members of the dead and upon matching, ensure handing over of the mortal remains.

It asked the MEA to ensure that bereaved families were provided details of the documents needed for claiming compensation from the Russian government and were given all relevant information and updates in vernacular language. The Bench also asked the MEA to deal expeditiously with the cases pertaining to handing over the mortal remains to the families for conducting last rites.

More than 200 people, mostly hailing from Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, went to Russia during 2024-25 for working in different sectors, including hospitality. They were duped by travel agents and their passport and other documents were seized on reaching Russia. They were then enrolled in the Russian army, only to be sent to war zones, the Bench noted.

According to the latest information, 219 Indians fought in the war and 51 of them were reported as dead or missing, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati said, adding the mortal remains of 29 of them had been brought back.

The Centre had earlier said sustained diplomatic engagement with the Russian Federation had led to the release of 139 Indians from their military contracts.

Friday’s order came on a petition seeking return of mortal remains of those killed, compensation for the affected families and a coordinated mechanism to handle the related issues after the Bench heard the petitioner’s counsel and Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati for the Centre.

The Bench directed the National Legal Services Authority and state legal services to extend assistance to the families in securing the mortal remains of their relatives and pursuing compensation claims. It also asked the Centre to ensure that families got the receipt and other information related to compensation and delivery of mortal remains.