SC: Don’t want to pass order which may hurt Russia ties

EXPRESSING serious concerns over a lack of concrete response from the Russian Embassy on the whereabouts of a Russian woman, who has reportedly fled to her country with her four-year-old child, the Supreme Court recently observed that it did not want to pass any order which could hurt India-Russia relationship.

- SUCHITRA KALYAN MOHANTY

The Supreme Court made these observations after being apprised by the Centre earlier that the woman, Victoria Basu, seems to have left the country with the minor through the Nepal border.

A two-judge bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi stressed the need for proper coordination as it pointed out to the diplomatic challenge for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Indian Embassy in Moscow and Russian Embassy in Delhi to find a resolution of the issue and take steps to restore the child to the custody of the apex court.