No discrimination in education: Supreme Court on school access to Rohingyas

No child will be discriminated against in education, the Supreme Court said on Feb 12 while fixing for next week a plea seeking a direction to the central and Delhi governments to grant Rohingya refugees in the city access to public schools and hospitals.

The court just wants to know where these Rohingya families are living, in whose house and what are their particulars, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh said.

Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for the NGO Rohingya Human Rights Initiative, said he has filed an affidavit giving the details and pointed out that the Rohingya refugees have UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) cards.

It will be easier for the NGO to give the particulars if these Rohingya families have these cards, Justice Surya Kant said.

Gonsalves then sought some time to furnish more details to the court.

The top court posted the matter for further hearing after 10 days.

On Jan 31, the top court asked the NGO to apprise the court where the Rohingya refugees have settled in the city and the facilities accessible to them. It also asked Gonsalves to file an affidavit indicating their places of settlement in Delhi.

Gonsalves said the NGO sought access to public schools and hospitals to Rohingya refugees as they were denied the access due to lack of Aadhaar cards.

"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 submitted.

Gonsalves said Rohingya refugees resided in Shaheen Bagh, Kalindi Kunj and Khajuri Khas areas of Delhi.

The PIL has sought a direction to authorities to grant admission to all Rohingya children free of cost irrespective of Aadhar cards and allow them to participate in all examinations, including Classes 10 and 12 and graduation, without government insistence on the ID proof.

The PIL also sought extension of all government benefits such as free health services in government hospitals, subsidized food grains as available under Antyodya Anna Yojana scheme and benefits under the Food Security Act to Rohingya families as available to other citizens, irrespective of citizenship.

(PTI)