PTI, NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today asked the Centre to respond to a fresh plea by two Rohingya refugees, alleging that the BSF was using “chilli and stun grenades” to stop the refugees from entering India. A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra granted four weeks to the Centre to file its response to the interim application by the two Rohingya refugees, alleging that Border Security Force (BSF) was forcefully restraining fresh refugees, including children, disabled persons and pregnant women, from entering the Indian side.
The two refugees had earlier approached the top court against the government’s decision to deport Rohingya Muslims to Myanmar. The bench, which also comprised Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, said “an interlocutory application has been filed by counsel for the petitioners in Writ Petition … A copy of the said application has been served on the assisting counsel to Tushar Mehta, ASG appearing today for Union of India. The ASG shall file a response to the said application within four weeks. List the matters on March 7.”
During the brief hearing, lawyer Prashant Bhushan, appearing for Mohammad Salimullah and Mohammad Shaqir, alleged that the BSF was pushing back hapless refugees through “inhumane and degrading treatment” and in clear violation of “the non refoulement principle of customary international law”.
He said the Indian government must be prevented from stopping more Rohingyas from entering India because of the persecution faced by them in Myanmar. “India can’t be the refugee capital of the world. We will take action when the contingency arises. These matters are best left to the government to decide. How can we allow everyone to cross the border,” the ASG said.
He opposed Bhushan’s submission saying it was not part of the pleadings of the main case and, moreover, the central government and its forces were performing their sovereign functions.
