(MENAFN- NewsBytes)
SC to resume hearing on Rohingya refugee deportation today
05 Dec 2017
The Supreme Court will resume hearing the petition filed by two Rohingya Muslim refugees against the Centre's decision to deport refugees of the community back to Myanmar.
On October 13, the court ruled that no Rohingya refugee could be deported until the case's next hearing which was scheduled for November 21 but deferred to December 5.
The Centre considers Rohingyas a national security threat.
Rohingyas believed to be world's most persecuted minority
Who are Rohingyas?
The Rohingyas are an ethnic Muslim group who constitute around one million of Myanmar's predominantly Buddhist 50 million population.
They speak a Bengali dialect, mainly reside in the country's impoverished northern Rakhine state.
Myanmar views them as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and doesn't officially recognize them as its citizens, rendering them stateless.
The Rohingyas have allegedly been subjected to human rights abuses by Myanmar.
What is the Modi government's stance on Rohingyas?
What?
Union home minister Rajnath Singh had stated that Rohingyas are not refugees but illegal immigrants.
The government contends that many Rohingyas have links with the ISIS and Pakistan's ISI posing a serious threat to India.
It also worries that if they stay, Rohingyas would use up resources meant for Indians leading to social tension and law-and-order problems in the future.
Court rejected Centre's jurisdiction to order Rohingya deportation
Ruling
The SC bench had previously observed that the Rohingya Muslim issue had to be considered from multiple angles such as national security, economic interest, labor interest and the protection of women, children, and innocents.
"We have to strike a balance. It is not an ordinary case," it said.
The court ruled that the authority to deport Rohingyas fell under its jurisdiction, not the Centre.
Rohingya crisis: Centre's decision to deport Rohingya widely crticized
Criticism
According to UN figures, there are at least 16,000 Rohingyas in India; many more are undocumented.
India maintains that it is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention (1951) and is, therefore, under no obligation to take Rohingyas in.
India's stance was recently slammed by UN Human Rights Commission.
The Human Rights Watch has also urged India to not turn them back.
MENAFN0512201701650000ID1096188762
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.