Madras Bar Association urges Centre to intensify efforts to trace missing former HC judge in Nepal

CHENNAI: The Madras Bar Association (MBA) has urged the Centre to intensify efforts to trace and rescue former Madras High Court judge Justice V Sivagnanam, who has reportedly been missing in Nepal since August 26 following devastating floods in the Nepal-Tibet border region.

MBA president V R Kamalanathan and secretary J Pothiraj made the appeal in a letter dated August 30 to the Chief Justice of India, the Prime Minister and the Ministry of External Affairs.

The Association said Justice Sivagnanam was travelling in Nepal as part of a group of Tamil pilgrims when the disaster struck. It noted that the floods had caused several deaths and left several people, including Indian nationals, missing.

Landslides, debris, damaged roads and disrupted communication networks were hampering rescue operations, the Association said.

The MBA urged the authorities to coordinate closely with Nepalese agencies, including the police and rescue services, to trace the former judge.

It also sought checks at hospitals, shelters, evacuation centres and identification centres for any information about his whereabouts.

The Association further urged the deployment of Indian search-and-rescue teams and forensic resources, besides seeking regular updates to Justice Sivagnanam's family on the efforts being made to locate him.