On Monday, May 19, the Supreme Court of India refused to entertain a plea filed by a Sri Lankan national challenging his deportation after serving a jail term. The apex court said that India is not a ‘dharamshala’ that can host refugees from across the globe.
The bench comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and K Vinod Chandran said, “Is India to host refugees from all over the world? We are already struggling with a population of 140 crore. This is not a dharmshala where we can entertain foreign nationals from everywhere.”
When the petitioner, a Sri Lankan Tamil citizen, sought protection from deportation citing a threat to his life in Sri Lanka, the Supreme Court bench said, “Go to some other country.” They subsequently rejected his plea.
Justice Datta even asked, “What is your right to settle here?”
