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Former J&K deputy CM Kavinder Gupta welcomes Rohingya verdict
Time for their deportation, probe how they managed Aadhaar cards, ration cards in erstwhile J&K state, says Kavinder Gupta
Former Jammu & Kashmir deputy chief minister Kavinder Gupta has welcomed the Supreme Court’s order rejecting a plea seeking the release of at least 197 Rohingya refugees detained in a Jammu and stalling their deportation.
“It is a historical decision by the Supreme Court... The issue of illegal immigrants has become a chronic problem in India. Their deportation was talked about time and again but seldom were any steps taken in this direction,” said Gupta. “Now, how to deport them under the ambit of the law remains to be discussed and soon a decision should be taken on it.”
Gupta called for a probe into how the Rohingya arrived in Jammu & Kashmir and who provided them Indian identity documents.
The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to stop the deportation of the refugees detained in a Jammu prison to Myanmar, noting that the right not to be deported can arise out of the fundamental right to settle in India which is available only to citizens.
Also Read | SC rejects plea to stall deportation of Rohingyas from Jammu
Highlighting the Union government’s stand that the Rohingya posed a serious threat to the internal security of the country, the bench, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde, also dismissed the plea to release them from the detention centre.
There are close to 7,000 Rohingya refugees in Jammu & Kashmir.
On March 6, on the instructions of the Union home ministry, the J&K administration started a verification drive of the Rohingya community, and moved some of them to a holding centre, pending their potential deportation.
