SC dismisses plea to stop deportation of 7 Rohingyas

New Delhi : The Supreme Court dismissed on Thursday a plea seeking a stay on the deportation of seven Rohingyas scheduled for later in the day.

These Rohingya refugees had entered India in 2012 and were lodged at a camp in Assam's Silchar.

A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Sanjay Krishan Kaul and Justice K.M. Joseph dismissed the plea by Prashant Bhushan as the Centre informed that Myanmar has accepted them as their citizens.

Appearing for petitioner Mohammad Salimullah, Bhushan told the bench that it should ask the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) first to interview the refugees to know their wishes -- whether they wanted to go back or not.

As Bhushan said it was the apex court's responsibility to protect their lives, Chief Justice Gogoi said: "You do not have to remind us of our responsibility, we are aware of it."

The Rohingyas are a minority Muslim community from the Rakhine state in Myanmar.