Centre Firm on Deporting Rohingyas, Tells Supreme Court: 'India Cannot Become World's Refugee Capital'

New Delhi, Jan 31: On petition challenging the deportation of nearly 40,000 illegal Rohingya immigrants back to Myanmar, the Centre told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that it could not allow India to become the "world's refugee capital".

Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, who appeared on behalf of the Rohingya refugees, made a "humanitarian submission" before the top court bench, saying the government is acting in an inhumane manner by ordering the forces on the eastern front to use stun guns and chilly sprays in a bid to "shoo away" the Rohingya refugees.

To this, Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the use of above mentioned weapons to thwart the infiltration bids of Rohingya immigrants is "justified".

"This is not a matter on which we can show any leniency," the top law officer said, adding that harsh measures are required else "India would be flooded by refugees from all parts of the world".

The bench headed by Chief Justice of India Deepak Mishra, while acknowledging the humanitarian aspect of Bhushan's arguments, said the judicial standards of India, which apply to its refugees, could not be applied to those attempting to enter the country.

The hearing in the case is underway since September last year, after Bhushan moved the top court to challenge the Centre's decision to deport nearly 40,000 Rohingya refugees from the nation.

The CJI-led bench had, earlier, dismissed the appeal of government to allow the matter to be handled solely by the executive. The Centre was ordered to stay the deportation process till the court passes its final judgement.

The decision to deport the Rohingya immigrants was announced in August last year, citing the threat posed by them to the country's "internal security".

Former Indian envoy to Bangladesh, Veena Sikri, while speaking to this reporter, had said the decision taken by the government is justified if viewed from the prism of national security. To validate her point, the ex diplomat cited the presence of al-Qaeda and ISI in the Rakhine region -- the only Muslim dominated state in Myanmar from where the refugee outflux began due to ethnic clashes.

The refugee crisis, although underway since 2011, intensified in July last year after Myanmar Army's posts were reportedly attacked by members of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army -- the local insurgent unit affiliated to the al-Qaeda. In the retaliatory action by the forces, scores of Rohingya Muslims were forced to flee from Rakhine.

The alleged excessive use of force drew sharp flak towards Naypyidaw, with its State Counsellor and Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi being accused of turning a blind eye to the plight of Muslims in her country.

Bangladesh, which borders the troubled region of Rakhine, has accepted more than 8 lakh Rohingya refugees since the ethnic clashes began last year.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 31, 2018 06:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).