India’s Supreme Court on Monday began hearing a plea challenging a government decision to deport up to 40,000 Muslim Rohingya who have fled Myanmar, a lawyer said. The challenge came after India’s junior home minister Kiren Rijiju said last month the government would expel all Rohingya, even those registered with the United Nations. According to media reports, the government will argue that the Rohingya are a security threat who could aid terrorists. Lawyer Prashant Bhushan, representing the Rohingya, said the Indian constitution “provides equal rights and liberty to every person”, including non-citizens. The United Nations says there are 16,000 registered Rohingya in India.

Source: Dhaka Tribune September 18, 2017 07:07 UTC