The Government is actively considering a law to deal with foreign nationals entering the country due to religious persecution or disturbance. A comprehensive policy in this regard is being drawn out by the Ministry of Home Affairs, which expects to prepare the draft within two months.
An official confirmation of this came on Monday when the Centre appeared before Supreme Court in a PIl by NGO ‘Swajan’ seeking citizenship status to Hindus who are forced to flee from Bangladesh into India on account of religious persecution and face the scourge of deportation as authorities tag them as “illegal migrants”.
Though the PIl is pending in Supreme Court since August 2012, this is the first positive sign shown by the Government, soon after the Narendra Modi Government came to power. Additional Solicitor General PS Patwalia appeared for Centre in the matter before a Bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi.
The ASG sought time on the ground that the Government is framing a policy on this issue. He hinted that in two months, the final draft of the proposed policy/legislation will be ready. The Bench, also comprising Justice Arun Mishra, directed the Centre to produce a copy of the policy by next date. The matter will be taken up on April 7. NGO Swajan, through advocate Shuvodeep, Roy focused on Hindu migrants from Bangladesh who settle in Assam and are later picked up by law enforcement agencies as illegal migrants. They are thrown back into their country of origin in utter disregard to the threat faced by them back home.
The court informed ASG that the matter required detailed consideration as the issue was not limited to Bangladesh alone. Refugees have entered India in the past from Tibet, Sri lanka, Bhutan, Afghanistan, and Myanmar. They were granted asylum by the Centre on the internationally recognised principle of non-refoulement.