A habeas corpus petition has been filed in Gujarat High Court to free Captain of unseaworthy dredger Omkara Prem, who along with 31 seafarers were made to sail out of Porbandar Port hours before Cyclone Vayu was to make a landfall at Gujarat's coast.

Wife of Captain Karuna Shankar Kundala, Bhargavi Shankar has moved the court seeking court intervention.

As reported earlier by DNA Money, this Mercator owned vessel has been is in a rundown condition and was also detained by Mercantile Marine Department (MMD) as the dredger failed on safety parameters.

The petition was filed earlier this month and has been admitted by the High Court.

In the petition, Captain Shankar's wife has sought relief stating that he be "freed from illegal detention imposed upon him by being forced to remain upon the unseaworthy vessel – Motor Vessel Omkara Prem."

"A new bench was assigned which summoned the respondents. The circumstances of the case will change considerably by July 10. I hope that justice will be served to the ship's crew," said Akash Verma, who brought out these 32 crew's plight in public domain.

The case is to come up for hearing on July 10. The petition has been filed against the state of Gujarat, along with Gujarat Maritime Board, Port Officer of Porbandar Port, MMD, and Superintendent of Police of Jamnagar.

DNA Money had earlier reported that MMD had marked the vessel unseaworthy as it was deficient in its life-saving equipment, signalling lamp, machinery, and so on. On May 31, Captain Karuna Shankar, the vessel's in-charge, had also raised a May Day call.

Secondly, the crew was also short of provisions, supplies, fuel, water, and so on. Though the call was attended to and supplies replenished, but faults in the vessel were not rectified. Yet, the crew were asked to stay aboard, which is against the law.

"The port authorities violated the law on many counts: by asking the ship to leave the port despite it being detained by MMD," Captain Shankar had said earlier to this newspaper.