New Delhi (Gurpreet Singh): The Central Government informed the Supreme Court on Friday, April 24, 2026, that 10 Indian nationals have died while serving with Russian forces in the ongoing conflict with Ukraine. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), provided this update during a hearing on a petition seeking the safe repatriation of 26 Indians allegedly forced into the war. The Centre noted that while some individuals were misled by agents under the guise of lucrative jobs, many had entered into “voluntary contracts.” A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant described the situation as requiring “tactful handling,” citing the extreme logistical difficulties in recovering remains from an active war zone.
In a separate legal development, the Supreme Court referred a plea from Christian Michel James, the alleged middleman in the ₹3,600-crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam, to a different bench. James is seeking release from custody, arguing that his continued detention is illegal as he has already served the maximum potential sentence since his extradition from Dubai in 2018. Chief Justice Surya Kant directed that the matter be heard by a bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath, which had previously dealt with related petitions. This comes after the Delhi High Court dismissed James’s plea earlier this month, ruling it lacked merit.
The apex court also refused to entertain a fresh application from Indrani Mukerjea, the primary accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, seeking permission to travel abroad. A bench comprising Justices MM Sundresh and N. Kotiswar Singh reiterated its previous stance, directing Mukerjea to approach the trial court where her proceedings are ongoing. Despite her counsel, senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, citing new “urgency” and noting that past pleas were not decided on merit, the court declined to intervene. However, the bench granted her the liberty to move the trial court, instructing that such an application be disposed of within four weeks.
