Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K.S. Alagiri on Friday urged Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami to release the foreign national Tablighi Jamaat members lodged in prison taking into account the Madras High Court observation that the government shall take a sympathetic view and allow them to return to their countries.

In a statement, Mr. Alagiri said there was no provision in law to keep foreign nationals in detention in jails or special camps. “They have to be kept in a separate place. Why is the AIADMK government breaking the law knowing what the provisions are? The government should not be a stumbling block to allow them to seek recourse as per law,” Mr. Alagiri said.

He also urged the government to pay special attention to the health of elderly persons, pregnant women and children who have been lodged in a special camp inside Puzhal prison. He said the government should release all the Tablighi members based on the High Court’s observations.

The TNCC president warned that keeping them in jail would also lead to a souring of diplomatic relations with their countries, especially with Indonesia as 53 memers belong to that country.