Rohingya crisis is foreign policy matter for India, says Former AG Rohatgi

Former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi on Tuesday said that the ongoing Rohingya crisis is matter of India's foreign policy and cannot be judicially reviewed by a court.

Rohatgi said that people referring to Article 21 of the Indian constitution does not live in India and in reality don't have any right on the Indian Constitution.

"It is a matter of India's foreign policy. They (Government) want to take Rohingyas; don't want to take them; want to keep relation with other countries; don't want to keep it. All this is a part of India's foreign policy," Rohatgi told ANI.

"It is not a matter that can be judicially reviewed by a court. If India says we won't allow them in our country then no international body can ask it to take them in," he said.

Rohatgi said that Indian is a developing country and is using resources for the people of its own country and under such circumstances, how can it take another burden of others on itself.

"Even countries like Europe and America have put a ban on migration. They are developed nation and can afford to keep the people; still they are not doing it. In India, population is much higher and resources are limited. We don't have resources for our own people. How we will share it with others," he said.

Taking note of the Centre's affidavit, the apex court has adjourned the hearing in the matter to October 3.

The plea filed by the two Rohingya immigrants, Mohammad Salimullah and Mohammad Shaqir, who are registered refugees under the United Nations High Commission of Refugees (UNHCR), earlier stated that "this act (deportation) would be in contradiction with the Principle of Non-Refoulement, which has been widely recognized as a principle of Customary International Law".