On October 29, 2024, the Delhi High Court declined to hear a petition that sought directions for the Delhi government to grant school admission to the children of Rohingya refugees. A bench of Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela stated that the matter had international implications and suggested that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs was better suited to address it.
“Child doesn’t mean the whole world will come over here,” said the bench, adding, “These are international issues, there are ramifications on security, nationality.” The court said that a policy decision from the Union government would be necessary before taking any steps regarding the matter.
The public interest litigation (PIL) was filed by Social Jurist, a civil rights group that argued Rohingya children were being denied admission because their families held only United Nations-issued ID cards, and lacked an Aadhaar card and bank account.
The plea further claimed that even those Rohingya children who managed to secure admission in Delhi government schools faced hurdles in accessing statutory benefits like uniforms and school supplies, as their families did not have bank accounts. This, the petitioner argued, violated the children’s right to education.
The court’s decision came after the Delhi government allegedly failed to respond to the civil rights group’s concerns on the issue.
