No Child Should Be Discriminated In Education: SC On Plea For Schools To Rohingya Refugees – News18

Last Updated:February 12, 2025, 16:55 IST

The Supreme Court stressed non-discrimination in education, scheduling a hearing on Rohingya refugees’ access to Delhi’s schools and hospitals.

The Supreme Court emphasised on Wednesday that no child should face discrimination in education, as it scheduled a hearing for next week on a petition seeking access to public schools and hospitals for Rohingya refugees in Delhi, as reported by PTI.

The court requested clarification on the living conditions of the Rohingya families, asking for details about where they are residing, whose homes they are staying in, and their personal information. This was stated by a bench of Justices Surya Kant and N. Kotiswar Singh while reaffirming the principle of non-discrimination in education.

According to the PTI report, Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, representing the NGO Rohingya Human Rights Initiative, confirmed that an affidavit had been submitted with the required details, adding that the Rohingya refugees hold 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 January 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 (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) 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.

“In Shaheen Bagh and Kalindi Kunj they are residing in slums and in Khajuri Khas they are residing in rented accommodation,” he had submitted.

The top court had said it asked the questions to understand if they lived in camps, the nature of relief would be different than the one mentioned in the PIL.

The PIL requests that authorities be directed to provide free admission to all Rohingya children, regardless of whether they possess Aadhar cards, and to allow them to participate in all examinations, including Classes 10 and 12 and university exams, without requiring government-issued ID proof.

Additionally, the PIL calls for the extension of government benefits to Rohingya families, including free healthcare services in government hospitals, subsidized food under the Antyodya Anna Yojana, and benefits under the Food Security Act, on par with those available to other citizens, regardless of their citizenship status.