The petition has sought directions to the Center to release the detained Rohingyas.
New Delhi:
The Supreme Court today agreed to hear in March a petition seeking a direction to the government to release Rohingya refugees “illegally and arbitrarily” detained in jails and detention centers across the country. Has been.
A bench of Justice BR Gavai and Justice Sandeep Mehta agreed to list the petition after lawyer Prashant Bhushan mentioned the matter, saying the matter has not been posted for hearing.
Mr Bhushan said that despite issuing notice to the Centre, the Union of India has not filed its reply till date. He told the apex court that the matter needed an urgent hearing as many Rohingya refugees were stranded in different parts of the country.
The top court said it will hear the case in March.
The apex court had issued notice to the Center on October 10 last year and sought its reply within four weeks.
Mr Bhushan, appearing for petitioner Priyali Sur, had submitted that several Rohingya refugees have been detained in facilities across the country and their right to life and equality before the law under Article 21 and Article 14 of the Constitution have been denied. There has been a demand for his release.
Ms Sur’s petition said the Rohingya are an ethnic minority in Myanmar’s Rakhine state and have been described by the United Nations as the world’s most persecuted ethnic minority.
It added, “They have a history of statelessness since 1980, primarily as a result of the citizenship law implemented in Myanmar in 1982, which effectively stripped them of their citizenship.”
The petition said Rohingya refugees have fled to neighboring countries, including India, to escape persecution, which the United Nations and the International Court of Justice have termed as genocide and crimes against humanity.
It says that despite this background of persecution and discrimination, Rohingya refugees in India are officially labeled “illegal immigrants” and face inhumane treatment and restrictions.
“These include arbitrary arrests and unlawful detention, restrictions on freedom of movement outside the camps, limited access to education, limited or no access to basic health care and legal services or any formal employment opportunities,” the petition says. “
It said that despite recognition of their status as refugees by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), hundreds of Rohingya refugees, including pregnant women and minors, are being detained unlawfully and indefinitely in prisons and detention centers across India. Has gone.
The plea seeks direction to the Center to release those Rohingyas who are detained in jails and detention centers or juvenile homes “illegally and arbitrarily” without assigning any reason or in violation of the provisions of the Foreigners Act. Has gone.
It also sought direction to the government to refrain from arbitrarily detaining any Rohingya on charges of being an illegal immigrant or under the Foreigners Act.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
