The Supreme Court of India has scheduled the hearing of multiple petitions related to the deportation and living conditions of Rohingya refugees for May 8. The decision was taken by a bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing one of the petitioners, highlighted the plight of Rohingya refugees, emphasizing that they have been victims of ethnic cleansing and genocide in Myanmar. He pointed out that the Myanmar government has declared them stateless, yet they face deportation to a country that refuses to recognize them as citizens.
During the proceedings, Bhushan informed the Court that new developments had emerged since the last hearing and sought permission to submit an additional affidavit. He also referred to a previous Supreme Court order dated May 11, 2018, where a Committee was tasked with examining the living conditions of Rohingya refugees. The Committee had submitted its report at the time.
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Bhushan urged the Court to direct a legal services authority or any other competent body to assess the current living conditions of Rohingya refugees, stating that their situation has worsened. However, the Court chose not to issue an order on this request at the present stage.
One of the respondent counsels noted that approximately 18-19 cases on this issue exist, with 11-12 listed before the bench that day. In response, Justice Kant remarked that all related cases would be clubbed together for a comprehensive hearing.
Posting the matter for May 8, the bench granted liberty to all petitioners to submit additional affidavits and supporting documents to ensure a thorough and effective adjudication of the case.
Recently, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition seeking admission of Rohingya refugee children into Delhi government schools. The Court observed that the correct approach would be for the children to apply directly to the schools they are eligible for. If their applications are unfairly rejected, they have the right to approach the Delhi High Court for relief.
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In another related case, the Court stated that education should be accessible to all children without discrimination. However, it stressed the importance of first verifying the residential status of Rohingya families before making any educational provisions. Consequently, this petition was disposed of in line with a similar previous ruling, with the Court reaffirming that Rohingya children must first seek school admissions through the standard process.
Case Title: JAFFAR ULLAH AND ANR. vs. U.O.I AND ORS., W.P.(C) No. 859/2013 (and connected cases)
Legal Representation:
- Senior Advocates Rakesh Dwivedi and Colin Gonsalves
- Advocate Prashant Bhushan
