Rohingya issue is foreign policy matter, not judicial: Mukul Rohatgi

Rohatgi's comment came a day after the Centre on Monday in its affidavit said the presence of Rohingya Muslims in India is a drain on India's resources.

A day after the Union Government filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court against accommodating the Rohingya Muslims in India, former attorney general Mukul Rohatgi on Tuesday said the Rohingya issue is a matter of foreign policy and not the one that can be "judicially reviewed".

He told news agency ANI that if India decides to not allow Rohingyas then the international community cannot ask it to take allow refugees.

Rohatgi's comment came a day after the Centre on Monday in its affidavit said the presence of Rohingya Muslims in India is a drain on India's resources and a serious security threat to the country.

"It is a matter of foreign policy, not a matter that can be judicially reviewed by a court...If India says we won't allow them in our country then no international body can ask it to take them in," Rohatgi said.

The Centre had further said that it is completely within the executive policy how to deal with illegal immigrants such as Rohingya Muslims. The affidavit was filed in response to a petition against the deportation of Rohingya Muslims from India.

The centre said that it has inputs from intelligence agencies about links of some Rohingya Muslims with Pakistan's ISI and Global terror networks such as the Islamic State.

Further, t was stated that is an organised network of touts operating in Myanmar and West Bengal and Tripura to facilitate illegal Rohingya influx.

The influx started in 2012 and there are around 40,000 Rohingya Muslims in India.
In a 15 page affidavit, the Centre said that the SC should keep off the executive policy in dealing with illegal Rohingya migrants. Further the reply stated that there are intelligence inputs stating that some illegal migrants have links with Pakistan based terror groups and are trying to spread violence in India. Militant elements among Rohingyas are active in Delhi, Hyderabad, Mewar and Jammu and are posing serious threat to national security.

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