Plea filed in SC on deportation of 7 Rohingya refugees

A plea was filed in the Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking a restraint on the Centre from deporting seven Rohingya refugees lodged in the Silchar Detention center in Assam to Myanmar.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan mentioned the matter for urgent hearing before a bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi.

Bhushan, who has been appearing in cases filed against the Centre's decision to deport Rohingya refugees, told the bench that if these refugees are deported they face the risk of persecution and even death.

Filing an application in the pending case, the lawyer said the Assam government plans to deport seven Rohingya refugees back to Myanmar on October 3 and 4.

"Pass an order restraining the Union of India from taking any step towards the deportations of Rohingya refugees lodged in jails or detention centers in any part of the country in contravention of non-derogable principles of customary international laws and during the pendency of the case before this court," said the application filed.

Earlier, a batch of pleas was filed in the apex court opposing the Centre's decision to deport over 40,000 refugees who had fled from Myanmar after widespread discrimination and violence against the community.

The plea was filed by two Rohingya immigrants -- Mohammad Salimullah and Mohammad Shaqir -- who claimed they took refuge in India after escaping from Myanmar due to widespread discrimination, violence, and bloodshed against the community in that country.

The case has been listed for hearing tomorrow.