The Centre on Tuesday told the Madras High Court Bench here that it was holding talks with officials of Oman for rescuing 14 Tamil women employed as domestic helps in that country and allegedly being tortured by their employers.

Assistant Solicitor General G.R. Swaminathan told a bench comprising Justice K.K. Sasidharan and B. Gokuldass that talks were on with Oman Embassy officials to rescue the women and bring them back home.

The submission was made during the hearing of a habeas corpus petition by Kalvathi whose daughter Meghala had gone to Oman to work as a domestic help for a monthly salary of Rs. 20,000 but is facing "horrible" working conditions.

She also said that like her daughter, thirteen other women were "suffering" in Oman.

The peitioner submitted that when her daughter reached Oman with the help of brokers, she found the working condition "horrible" and she had to work for 22 hours a day and not given proper food. She was being treated like bonded labour, Kalavathi claimed.

The petitioner sought a direction to the authorities to produce her daughter in the court as she feared that she would be killed.

Directing the Centre to file a detailed counter, the court posted the petition to July 12 for further hearing.