Madras High Court Demands Status on Missing Nepal Pilgrims

The Madras High Court ordered the Central and Tamil Nadu governments to file status reports regarding efforts to locate 85 missing pilgrims from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. The directive follows catastrophic flash floods in Nepal that impacted travelers, primarily those participating in the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.

Court records show that 220 of the 305 people who traveled to Nepal have been traced and returned home. Among those still missing is former Madras High Court Justice V Sivagnanam, who has been unreachable since August 26. The missing include 49 individuals from the Mahadev Kailash Yatra group, while 21 pilgrims from the Super Yatra group have been rescued.

The Government of Tamil Nadu is currently coordinating with Nepalese authorities and the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu. To support the affected families, the state government has provided travel assistance for relatives to visit Kathmandu. The court's order was issued during a hearing on a public interest litigation petition filed by advocate AF Parvesh Mushraf.