High Court summons senior immigration officer
senior immigration officer has been asked to appear before the court on November 27 for erroneous instructions allegedly leading a woman arrest on mistaken identity,
Chennai: The Madras high court directed the senior immigration officer, international airport, Chennai, on whose erroneous instructions allegedly, a woman was arrested on mistaken identity, to appear before the court on November 27. On October 29, Sarah Thomas, a 39-year-old NRI, was arrested at the Chennai airport after her flight landed from Dubai. She had come to meet her son. Immigration officials interrogated her for an hour to establish that she was Sarah Williams, accused of cheating a London-based insurance firm and absconding for over 13 years, and from Punalur in Kollam district.
Thereafter, Sarah Thomas was handed over to police and a case was registered. On October 30, her son Kevin John Sajith residing in Tambaram moved a habeas corpus petition in the Madras high court. By then, she was remanded to Puzhal prison. On information from Chennai police, their counterparts in Kerala rushed to Chennai and took her to Kerala on November 1.
When the habeas corpus petition came up for hearing on Tuesday before a division bench comprising Justices S. Tamilvanan and T. Mathivanan, counsel for petitioner brought to the notice of the court, the order passed by the judicial magistrate, Punalur, which ordered the release of Sarah Thomas immediately after recording the report of the detective inspector, CBCID that he had mistakenly identified her as Sara Williams.
The bench said that as per the order of the JM, Punalur, it was clear that there was a mistake over the identity. It was stated by the petitioner that she was sent to prison only on the erroneous instructions given by the senior immigration officer, the bench added.
“The senior immigration officer, AFPRO B Batch, International Airport, Chennai, is directed to be present before this court on November 27 at 10.30 a.m. He is also at liberty to file a counter and in case of failure to appear before this court, it is made clear that appropriate orders will be passed according to law,” the bench added.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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