Face2News/Chandigarh
The Punjab & Haryana High Court is scheduled to hear the case concerning three Indian officers of the vessel MT Global Cherylyn—Captain Ashok Kumar, Chief Officer Vikas Malik, and Second Officer Arvind Kumar Bind—on July 27.
The petition has been filed by Advocate Mukul Goyal and Advocate Neha Gupta.
According to the advocates, the three officers were convicted in Iran on charges of fuel smuggling and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, despite a maritime expert’s report stating that the vessel had never entered Iranian territorial waters.
Out of the 21 crew members, 18 were released earlier following diplomatic efforts by the Government of India. However, although the three officers were granted conditional parole in November 2025, their transfer to India under the India-Iran Bilateral Prisoner Transfer Agreement has not yet been executed, leaving them stranded in Iran.
It is now reported that the Iranian authorities are seeking to convert the unpaid fine into additional imprisonment, which could further delay their release.
In view of these developments, the father of Captain Ashok Kumar has approached the Punjab & Haryana High Court by filing a petition seeking the issuance of a writ of mandamus. The petition requests the Court to direct the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) to take immediate, time-bound steps to secure the release and repatriation of the three Indian officers, alleging that repeated representations to the authorities have not received any effective response.
Chandigarh
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