NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday emphasized that “no child will be discriminated against in education” while hearing a plea seeking access to public schools and hospitals for Rohingya refugees in Delhi.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh stated, “The court just wants to know where these Rohingya families are living, in whose house and what are their particulars,” while underscoring the principle of non-discrimination in education.
Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, representing the NGO Rohingya Human Rights Initiative, informed the court that the refugees possess UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) cards.
Justice Surya Kant noted, “It will be easier for the NGO to give the particulars if these Rohingya families have these cards.”
Gonsalves requested additional time to provide more information, leading the bench to schedule the next hearing for ten days later.
On January 31, the Supreme Court had asked the NGO to clarify where the Rohingya refugees are settled in Delhi and the facilities they can access.
Gonsalves argued that the refugees are being denied access to public schools and hospitals due to the lack of Aadhaar cards.
He stated, “They are refugees having UNHCR cards and therefore they can’t have Aadhaar cards. But for want of Aadhaar they are not being granted access to public schools and hospitals.”
He further informed the court, “In Shaheen Bagh and Kalindi Kunj they are residing in slums and in Khajuri Khas they are residing in rented accommodation.”
The court pointed out that if they lived in camps, the relief measures would differ from those requested in the Public Interest Litigation (PIL).
The PIL seeks a directive to allow Rohingya children to attend public schools free of cost and participate in exams, including for Classes 10, 12, and graduation, without requiring Aadhaar cards.
It also requests access to government benefits such as free healthcare in public hospitals, subsidized food grains under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana scheme, and other provisions available under the Food Security Act, irrespective of citizenship status.
