Supreme Court seeks government explanation on push back policy on Rohingyas

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the central government to respond to allegations in a petition that the Rohingya Muslims trying to enter India were being forcefully pushed back to Myanmar in violation of their human rights.

The allegations were levelled by activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan. Bhushan alleged that the government cannot push back those trying to enter the country in the face of religious protection and genocide in their home countries.

Additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta protested against this line of argument saying that the government cannot allow the country to be flooded by refugees. "India will then become the refugee centre of the world," he said.


He urged the court to defer hearing the case and leave it to the executive government to address the issue at diplomatic levels. The CJI put the hearing off eventually to march 7 but asked the government to place its stand on whether the court could examine it's push back policy and if it was against basic human rights of refugees.

The NHRC, through senior advocate goal subramanian, chose to stay silent on the push back policy but spoke up for protecting the basic human rights of refugees already in the country.

A bench led CJI Dipak Misra is hearing a batch of petitions filed by some rohingyas against their deportation home in the face of imminent death. The bench will also hear on March 7 another petition demanding a comprehensive refugee identification and deportation mechanism.

The court will also deal with another plea which challenges a government notification which specifically excludes Muslims from those who can apply for refugee status in the country.