SC asks Centre to file comprehensive report on amenities to Rohingya refugees

The Supreme Court today asked the Centre to file a comprehensive status report on basic amenities provided in three Rohingya camps in Delhi and Haryana.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra asked the central government to file the status report on the three camps, located at Mewat, Faridabad and Delhi, within four weeks.

The bench which also comprised justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud posted the matter for further hearing on May 9.

The Rohingya refugees in India had alleged that basic amenities like toilets, drinking water and others were not provided for them which in turn caused diarrhoea among the children and the elderly in the camps.

The apex court had on March 19 refused to grant any interim relief to Rohingya refugees and favoured the Centre's submission that it would grab 'media headlines' and have repercussions on India's diplomatic ties with Myanmar and Bangladesh.

The top court had said it will not pass any interim order with regard to ensuring health and educational facilities for Rohingya refugee camps in the country unless materials contradicting the Centre's claims are brought before it.

The apex court was hearing a plea of refugees Mohammad Salimullah and Mohammad Shaqir seeking education and healthcare on the lines of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, who were given such facilities in Tamil Nadu.

The Rohingyas, who fled to India after violence in the Western Rakhine state of Myanmar, are settled in Jammu, Hyderabad, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi-NCR and Rajasthan.