IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB & HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH CWP No.7470 of 2010 Date of Decision: 14.02.2011 World Human Rights Council. ...Petitioner Versus Union of India and others ..Respondents. CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE RANJAN GOGOI, CHIEF JUSTICE HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE AUGUSTINE GEORGE MASIH 1. Whether Reporters of local papers may be allowed to see the judgment ? 2. Whether to be referred to the Reporters or not ? 3. Whether the judgment should be reported in the Digest? Present : Mr. Ranjan Lakhanpal, Advocate, for the petitioner. Mr. O.S.Batalvi, Advocate, for respondent No.1-Union of India. Mr. Rupinder Khosla, Addl. A.G. Punjab, for respondents No.2 to 4. **** RANJAN GOGOI, C.J.(Oral) This Public Interest Litigation has been filed seeking appropriate orders/directions for release of 57 Pakistani prisoners, who are stated to be lodged in the Central Jail at Amritsar, though they have completed their sentence. The material on record, including the affidavit filed and the written instructions dated 11.02.2011 placed before the Court, would indicate that out of 56/57 prisoners, the details of 36 prisoners have been furnished by the Government of Punjab to the Union Government. Out of the aforesaid 36 prisoners, 12 have already been repatriated and one prisoner is undergoing the CWP No.7470 of 2010 [2] sentence imposed, whereas, another prisoner is an undertrial. In so far as the remaining 22 prisoners are concerned it is stated in the written instructions dated 11.02.2011 that the matter has been taken up by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India with the Pakistan High Commission on 02.02.2011 and that no sooner the nationality of the said persons is confirmed and travel documents of all or any of them are issued by the Pakistan High Commission, the concerned prisoners will be repatriated. In view of the aforesaid information laid before the Court we do not find any justification to keep this PIL pending any further. It accordingly stands disposed of in the light of what has been noticed above with the further direction that the process for repatriation of the prisoners from Pakistan, who have completed their sentence, be taken up in a similar manner by the concerned authority in the Ministry of External Affairs with the Pakistan High Commission and once the nationality of such prisoners are confirmed and the travel documents are issued by Pakistan High Commission, they be repatriated in accordance with law. (RANJAN GOGOI) CHIEF JUSTICE (AUGUSTINE GEORGE MASIH) JUDGE 14.02.2011 'ravinder'