India is not a 'dharamshala': SC junks plea against deportation

The Supreme Court on Monday sent a strong message that India is not a "dharamshala" (shelter) for housing refugees, refusing to interfere with a high court order directing deportation of a Sri Lankan Tamil after he completed his sentence under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for being a member of the banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

- Abraham Thomas

NEW DELHI:

A bench headed by Justice Dipankar Datta, said, "We are struggling with (population of) 1.4 billion. This is not a dharamshala that we can entertain foreign nationals from all over." The court was hearing a petition filed by Subaskaran, who completed a seven-year term in 2022 and has since been at a detention camp in Tiruchirapalli pending his deportation to Sri Lanka.

His lawyers argued that his wife and children are settled in Tamil Nadu and there is a threat to his life if he returns to Sri Lanka, but the bench, also comprising Justice Vinod K Chandran, categorically asserted that the right to reside in the country belongs only to citizens and foreigners should leave the country.