Plea in SC seeks release of Rohingya refugees detained in Jammu

New Delhi, March 11 A plea has been moved in the Supreme Court seeking immediate release of detained Rohingya refugees in Jammu and also a direction to the Centre to expeditiously grant refugee identification cards through the FRRO for Rohingyas in the informal camps.

The application filed by Mohammad Salimullah, a Rohingya refugee, through advocate Prashant Bhushan, sought a direction from the top court to the government to refrain from implementing any orders on deporting Rohingya refugees who have been detained in the sub jail in Jammu.

The plea said the refugees faced an imminent danger of being deported vide the government circular which directs the relevant authorities to identify and expeditiously deport illegal Rohingya refugees. "It (petition) is filed in the public interest, in order to secure and protect the right against deportation of the petitioner refugees in India and to protect Constitutional guarantees under Article 14 and Article 21, read with Article 51(c) of the Constitution of India, against the deportation of Rohingya refugees who have taken refuge in India after escaping widespread violence, bloodshed and discrimination against their community in their home State of Myanmar", said the plea.

The plea urged the top court to 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. The plea said according to news reports in this month, nearly 150-170 Rohingya refugees in Jammu are being detained.

The petitioner argued that this follows after the Union Minister Jitendra Singh's statements two months ago that the Rohingya wouldn't be able to secure citizenship. "In India, no legislation has been passed yet that specifically refers to refugees. Hence, it has in practice often clubbed Rohingya refugees with the class of illegal immigrants who may be deported by the government under the Foreigners Act 1946 and the Foreigners Order 1948", said the plea.

Last year in January, the apex court had agreed to hear a clutch of pleas against the Centre's decision to deport illegal Rohingya Muslim immigrants to Myanmar.

( With inputs from IANS )