NEW DELHI: India’s top court on Thursday agreed to hear a plea seeking a direction to the central government to release Rohingya refugees who have been “illegally” detained in jails and detention centres across the country. The Supreme Court agreed to hear the plea filed by Priyali Sur, in March without giving any date for the hearing.Sur’s lawyer, Prashant Bhushan, informed a two-judge bench of the SC comprising Justices BR Gavai and Sandeep Mehta that the matter was of utmost importance and that the court was not taking up the case for hearing. Upon hearing this, the bench agreed to schedule the matter for a hearing in March.Bhushan said that many Rohingya refugees have been detained in facilities across the country. He sought their release to protect their right to life and equality before the law under Articles 21 and 14 of the Constitution. “This court should hear it, as many Rohingya refugees have been languishing in various parts of the country. He also alleged that despite the issuance of notice to the Centre, the Union of India has so far failed to file its detailed reply till date,” Bhushan said.The plea also sought direction from the Centre to release these Rohingyas, who have been detained illegally and arbitrarily across various jails, detention centres and juvenile homes. “They are living a very miserable life,” Bhushan told the apex court.Further, the petitioner sought the top court’s immediate intervention by passing an appropriate direction to the Centre to refrain from arbitrarily detaining any Rohingya refugees and they should not be termed illegal immigrants.The plea said that in anticipation of persecution, many Rohingya refugees have fled to neighbouring countries, including India. These unfortunate events have been dubbed by the United Nations and the International Court of Justice as genocide and a crime against humanity, it added.
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