Chief Justice of
the Indian Supreme Court NV Ramana, referring to social media comments on what
he was doing about bringing back Indians stuck in the Russia-Ukraine conflict,
remarked, “Can I give directions to President of Russia to stop the war?” The
remark was made while the CJI was hearing a petition on the condition of students
stuck in war-torn Ukraine.

“On social media,
I saw some video saying what is CJI doing! Can I give directions to President
of Russia to stop the war?” CJI Ramana said, reports NDTV. 

The plea before
the CJI sought the rescue of nearly 200 Indian students stranded on Ukraine’s borders.
“Flights are being operated from Poland and Hungary and not from Romania. The
students, which also include many girls, are stuck without any facility,” the
petitioner’s lawyer told the bench which also comprised Justices AS Bopanna and
Hima Kohli.

Expressing sympathy
for the stranded students, the bench asked Attorney General KK Venugopal to use
his office to help Indian medical students stuck near the Romania border.

Thousands of
Indian students go to study in Ukraine, most of whom study medicine. Since
Russia’s war on Ukraine, the students have repeatedly called on the Indian
government to evacuate them. Over the week, India has stepped up its evacuation
efforts by roping in its air force.

On Wednesday, the
Indian embassy in Ukraine advised nationals to leave Kharkiv immediately as
Russia began bombing the city. India advised its citizens to reach three specific
locations. Some students said they had faced a great deal of hardship to reach
those places having had to walk nearly 15 kilometres because they couldn’t get
any transport.

India’s civil aviation
minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said eight flights will bring in 3,726 Indians on
Thursday, one of which will be from Romania. Flights will also come in from
Bucharest, Suceava and Slovakia’s Kosice, Hungary and Poland.