New Delhi: The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Centre and Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), seeking responses on urgent petitions highlighting the plight of Indians feared stranded, detained, or dead in conflict zones.
The Court was hearing pleas by families of 26 Indian nationals allegedly lured to Russia and forcibly recruited into the ongoing Ukraine war.
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant termed it a
“matter of grave concern”, while ordering the issuance of notice.
There are hundreds of such cases where Indians are lured by agents on the pretext of lucrative job promises but are pushed into the war zone by the Russian government, advocate Ritvik Bhanot, who is representing the families, told NDTV.
Chief Justice Kant has observed that this is an issue of national importance and expressed grave concern about it, Bhanot added.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta has sought time to take instructions and said that the matter would be looked into.
The writ petition, filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, raises serious concerns over the protection of life, liberty and
dignity of Indian citizens who had travelled abroad on tourist or student visas, believing they were pursuing employment or education.
Many were allegedly misled by agents and taken to Russia, where their circumstances changed dramatically – their passports and identity documents were allegedly confiscated, their movement was restricted and individuals reportedly faced coercion and threats, advocate Adhyayan Gupta, who is also representing the case of aggrieved families, told NDTV.
Some of them were forced to sign documents in unfamiliar languages and then forcibly recruited into military structures linked to Russian armed forces, the lawyers claimed.
The last known communications – mostly between September and October 2025 – indicated that the individuals were stationed in or near active conflict zones such as Kupyansk, Selydove, Makiivka and Chelyabinsk, families of the persons stuck in Russia said.
There has been no verified information on their safety, medical condition, detention status, or whereabouts since then.
Repeated representations were made to authorities, including the MEA, the Indian Embassy in Moscow, the Home Ministry and state agencies, the petition stated, adding that families continue to remain “in the dark” with no concrete updates.
Recently, the body of a youth from Uttar Pradesh, killed while fighting for Russia, was flown back home. His family claimed that he had gone to Russia to work in a steel furniture factory, but ended up at the frontline.