The Supreme Court will hear a plea filed by two Rohingya men on illegal immigrants and whether they can be granted the status of refugees. The apex court Tuesday agreed to hear the petition against the Central government’s plan to deport about 40,000 Rohingyas members back to their homes in Myanmar.
Two Rohingya men moved SC against the Centre’s proposed plan to deport 40,000 members of the community to Myanmar, reports Prathma Sharma
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The Rohingyas fled their home country dreading execution and injustice at the hands of the government, following large scale violence by the Rogingyas against Buddhists and Hindus in Myanmar. An Amnesty International report had confirmed the large scale massacre of Hindus by Rohingyas in the country.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, on behalf of the Rohingyas, submitted before a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi their plea to stop the government’s proposal to deport them and allow the international laws to govern the rights of the community, matter.
“But first decide whether they are refugees… Whether illegal immigrants can even be allowed the status of refugees… This is the substantial question here,” Mehta argued.
In response, the court agreed to examine the “substantial question” on the issue. It also asked the involved parties to finish the pleading till the next date of hearing.
In October 2018, India deported seven Rohingya men to Myanmar, which appears to have stimulated the fears of further actions against the ones who have made refugee camps in India their home. It followed the Supreme Court of India refusing to stop the deportation of the seven.
Thousands of Rohingya Muslims have been escaping the Rakhine state located on the western coast of Myanmar for years. Trapped between the Rohingya insurgents and military war for years, most refugees crossed over to Bangladesh while some entering India.
As per estimates, about 40,000 Rohingyas live in India within camps across the country, including New Delhi. Over the years, thousands of Rohingyas have arrived in India, and they have been illegally settled by vested interested in various parts of the country, including sensitive places like Jammu. A few cases of Rohingya Muslims acquiring fake documents like Aadhaar card, passport etc had also emerged.
