India, Aug. 1 -- The Supreme Court on Friday mandated DNA testing of the mortal remains of 20 Indians that have to be brought back from Russia where they died as part of the Russian Army in the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.

Directing the Centre to arrange for such a testing prior to repatriating the bodies to India, the court ordered the ministry of external affairs (MEA) to appoint a nodal officer to help aggrieved family members to file compensation claims with the Russian authorities.

The order was passed after the Centre informed the court that among the 80 Indians who reportedly joined the Russian Army and are stated to be either dead or missing, 51 deaths have been confirmed. Of these, the bodies of 29 were brought back while 2 w...