The Bombay High Court on Tuesday directed the release of 50 seafarers stranded on three ships arrested off the Mumbai coast, slamming vessel owners for treating crew members worse than "pet animals" by providing minimal food and water for months.

"Life comes only once. We don't believe in rebirth," the court observed while accusing the ship owners of being "least interested in human lives" and prioritising their commercial activities over the health of the crew.

The seafarers, in their plea in HC, claimed that they were stranded with a minimum supply of food and water on the vessels, which were practically abandoned by the owners, following arrest for illegal fuel oil and bitumen transfers mid-sea, about 11 nautical miles from the city.

As many as 50 seafarers were stranded onboard MT Asphalt Star, MT Stellar Ruby and MT Al Jafzia, and seven of them moved the high court with a habeas corpus (produce the person) petition.

The court on Monday ordered the Yellow Gate police to produce all 50 seafarers before it on Tuesday.

All seafarers were produced before a bench of Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Hiten Venegaonkar, and they informed that none of them wished to return to their vessels as they were wrongfully detained there.

The seafarers informed the bench that they were living on the vessels with minimal food and water and were given just 300 ml of water each day.

The petitioners, represented through the Maharashtra Navnirman Navin Sena Union, claimed they were stranded inside the vessels since February 9, and the owners had “practically abandoned” the ships as well as deserted the crew in the Arabian Sea.

The vessels were intercepted by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), and the ships were under arrest by the Yellow Gate police over alleged illegal acts in the Arabian Sea, at a distance of 11 nautical miles from Mumbai.

The court pulled up the vessel owners, accusing them of being the least interested in human lives and only being concerned about their vessels and commercial activities.

"How can you (owners) give the crew members only 300 ml of water every day? Even pet animals in our homes get more water each day. We will not allow human lives to be treated in such a manner. Life comes only once. We don't believe in rebirth," the court held.

Ordering the release of all 50 seafarers, the bench stated that it would take care of human lives, while the vessel owners can take care of their arrested ships.

“There must be at least four other mouths who are dependent on them, including wife, children and old parents. You will not think of that. It is only the court of law that will think of that. For you, the monies are very important and not the human lives…Now we cannot hold them back. Now the owners have to decide how the ships have to be taken care of, whether temporarily you will bring them closer to the inner anchorage or move the vessels to the Alang Ship Breaking Yard,” Justice Ghuge said.

"We are not concerned with your ship and vessels. That is not the scope of this habeas corpus petition. The owners' conduct is such that they don't value human lives. They only care about their commercial activities," it said.

The court noted that with a minimum food and water supply, the health of the seafarers would take a hit, which cannot be permitted.

It directed the Yellow Gate police to complete all formalities for the 50 seafarers and release them.