NEW DELHI, Mar 11: A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking immediate release of detained Rohingya refugees in Jammu and restrain the Centre from implementing any order deporting them.
An intervention application has been filed in the pending matter before the top court, which also sought direction to Ministry of Home Affairs to expeditiously grant refugee identification cards through the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) for the Rohingyas in the informal camps.
The application filed by Mohammad Salimullah, a Rohingya refugee through advocate Prashant Bhushan, said that it is filed in the public interest in order to secure and protect the right against deportation of the refugees in India.
The plea said that it is filed to protect rights guaranteed under Article 14 and Article 21, read with Article 51(c) of the Constitution, against the deportation of Rohingya refugees who have taken refuge in India after escaping widespread violence and discrimination against their community in their home country Myanmar.
“Release the detained Rohingya refugees immediately and direct the Union Territory Government and the Ministry of Home Affairs to expeditiously grant Refugee identification cards through the FRRO for the Rohingyas in the informal camps,” it said.
It sought direction to the Union Government to refrain from implementing any orders on deporting the Rohingya refugees, who have been detained in the sub jail in Jammu.
“Direct UNHCR to intervene and determine the protection needs of the Rohingya refugees not just in the Jammu but also in camps across the country and complete the process of granting them Refugee cards,” it said.
The application said that on August 8, 2017, the Ministry of Home Affairs, has issued a letter to all the Chief Secretaries of all the State Governments/UT Administrations, raising a concern regarding the increased ‘illegal immigrants’ in India and their purported ‘grave security challenge.’
“That the petitioners faced an imminent danger of being deported vide the Government circular which directs the relevant authorities to identify and expeditiously deport illegal Rohingya refugees, which is why the petitioners approached this court for protection,” it said.
The petitioners further submitted that this proposed deportation is contrary to the Constitutional protections of Article 14, Article 21 and Article 51(c) of the Constitution of India, which provides equal rights and liberty to every person.
The plea said that despite these Constitutional and International law requirements, the Centre has failed to carry out their obligations to ensure protection to the Rohingya Community, by proposing to deport the Community to Myanmar, where they face serious violence and persecution. (PTI)
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