New Delhi: The Delhi high court on Thursday (January 15) issued a notice to the Union government on hearing a plea by family members of 16 Indian seafarers detained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRG) last month, The Hindu reported. The petitioners said they have not received any help from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) yet.The incident happened on December 8 when they were on a vessel in international waters off the Dibba port near Dubai. It was moored there alongside its sister vessel, MT Coral Wave for several days due to a technical issue.“This petition is by the family members of 16 Indian nationals who have been detained in the Islamic Republic of Iran, for directions to the respondent-Union of India to take steps to provide consular access to the detained persons and to secure timely completion of investigation and their repatriation to India,” Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav said in the order.“The petitioners have been detained without disclosing the grounds for detention or issuing any formal detention order for over thirty days, in violation of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 to which both India and Iran are signatories,” the court noted.According to the report, the vessel, MT Valiant Roar, is owned by Glory International FZ LLC /Prime Tankers LLC, Dubai, also referred to as Global Tankers in India. It was carrying Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO), but Iran has accused the seafarers of smuggling diesel.Indian Embassy respondsIn a statement released on January 17, the Indian Embassy in Tehran said that request for consular access to the crew has been repeated numerous times by diplomatic correspondence and in-person meetings in Bandar Abbas and Tehran, since the incident came to light in mid-December.The Consulate also said that it had established contact with the UAE-based company that owns the ship was pressing it to ensure legal representation and regular supplies of provisions to the ship.“The Mission and the Consulate continue to press the Iranian authorities to grant early consular access to the crew, and to ensure expeditious completion of the judicial proceedings,” the statement read.‘Confined to a single room in the vessel’On December 8, the master of the vessel, Captain Vijay Kumar, reportedly sent distressing voicemail to his brother Captain Vinod Tanwar, one of the petitioners in the case, briefly explaining the situation.“That immediately thereafter, Petitioner No.1 (the brother of Capt. Vijay Kumar) contacted the vessel’s operator in Dubai, who verbally informed him that the vessel had been intercepted by the IRG and that the crew members had been arrested and forcibly taken to Bandar e Jask, Iran. The vessel was instructed by the Iranian Navy/Revolutionary Guards to lower the pilot ladder for boarding which was lawfully refused by the Master, being fully conscious of the vessel’s right of innocent passage under international maritime law. “Thereafter, the Iranian Navy opened heavy fire, causing visible damage to the vessel and likely injuries to the crew members. Upon boarding, Iranian naval personnel physically assaulted and manhandled the crew members,” the petition stated, as reported by The Hindu. The seafarers, according to the counsel for the seafarers, have not got any legal, financial, or consular aid from the MEA, despite repeated requests. While 10 of them, they added, have been taken to Bandar Abbas prison, eight remain onboard the vessel.The crew, they have alleged, has been confined to a single mess room of the vessel and were allowed to use the washroom only under armed escort. Meanwhile, all personal belongings, mobile phones and electronic devices have been confiscated. The Iranian authorities have not issued any formal detention order so far, nor disclosed the grounds for detention. The custody, now for over 30 days, thus is in violation of international law, the petitioners argued.The government’s counsel, on the other hand, said that due steps have been taken to ensure that all assistance is rendered to the petitioners for redressal of the grievance. According to the daily, Consulate General of India in Bandar Abbas has said that consular access has not been granted by the Iranian authorities despite requests.The matter has been posted for hearing on January 21.