The Kerala High Court has issued a stern directive to the Central and State governments, demanding a detailed explanation of the protocols followed when an Indian citizen is deported from a foreign country. This order comes in the wake of a tragic case involving a Bengaluru man who was deported from Kuwait, went missing upon arrival in Kochi, and was later found dead.
A Shocking Case of Systemic Failure
Justice Devan Ramachandran, while considering a habeas corpus petition, expressed deep concern over the handling of the case. The court has given the Centre and the Kerala government a deadline of December 10 to submit a comprehensive response. The judge highlighted the grave questions the incident raises for all authorities involved.
"This case certainly throws up very difficult questions for all the authorities," Justice Ramachandran observed. He pointed out the alarming lack of procedure, stating, "It is shocking that a person who is so deported is then left free through emigration, without any evaluation or surveillance." The court emphasized that deportation by a foreign nation can be for a wide range of reasons, from medical issues to serious security threats, making post-arrival protocols critically important.
The Timeline of a Tragedy
The case revolves around Suraj Lama, a businessman who had lived in Kuwait for decades. His ordeal began in August 2025 when he reportedly suffered memory loss due to alcohol poisoning. Subsequently, he was deported from Kuwait and landed at Kochi International Airport on October 5, 2025.
In a major security and procedural lapse, Suraj allegedly walked out of the airport without undergoing any emigration clearance. Disoriented and with impaired memory, he was found wandering in various parts of Kochi. Local police eventually admitted him to the Government Medical College in Kalamassery for care.
Tragically, CCTV footage later showed him walking out of the hospital on October 10. His son, Santon Lama, filed the habeas corpus petition in the Kerala High Court later that month, seeking his father's production. Despite a special police team being formed on the court's orders to search for him, Suraj could not be traced.
A Grim Discovery and Unanswered Questions
The search came to a heartbreaking end on November 30, 2025, when a severely decomposed body was discovered approximately 2 kilometers from the Kalamassery medical college where Suraj had been admitted. The body was prima facie identified as Suraj Lama, though police are awaiting DNA test results for conclusive confirmation.
During the hearing on December 5, 2024, the court stated, "We still are in the hortative hope that the body found is not that of the alleged detenue." This hope, however, is fading as the investigation proceeds.
The case has exposed a dangerous gap in India's system for handling deported citizens. The court's tough questions focus on the complete absence of a safety net for vulnerable individuals like Suraj, who was clearly in a medically unfit state. The authorities now face a deadline to explain what steps are mandated when a citizen is sent back to the country under such circumstances and why those steps failed utterly in this instance.
