New Delhi

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said the Centre would file in the Supreme Court its formal response as regards its plan on deporting Rohingya Muslims on Monday.

Monday is the last date for the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to clear its position on the issue, as the apex court is scheduled to take up the issue for hearing on a plea by two Rohingya immigrants—Mohammad Salimullah and Mohammad Shaqir—against the government’s decision to deport them back to Myanmar.

The SC will also simultaneously hear two separate petitions — one filed by former BJP ideologue KN Govindacharya and a Chennai-based NGO Indic Collective — urging directions to the government to deport Rohingya refugees.

There seemed to be some goof-up as regards the government affidavit late yesterday evening. Salimullah and Shaqir had reportedly received a copy of the draft MHA affidavit as the final one, but later in a communication the Central Agency Section housed on the SC premise clarified that they should “not treat the copy served upon” them “as the Affidavit of the Central Government”.

Serving the notice on the Centre while hearing the deportation case, the SC had asked the MHA (respondent) to file the affidavit. “We will file the affidavit in the Supreme Court on September 18,” Rajnath told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.

The plea, filed by Salimullah and Shaqir, who are registered as refugees under the United Nations High Commission of Refugees (UNHCR), claimed they took refuge in India after escaping from Myanmar due to widespread discrimination, violence and bloodshed against their community there. They challenged their deportation on several grounds, including violation of international human rights conventions.

The issue came to the fore after the Union Home Ministry in July said illegal immigrants such as the Rohingya posed grave security challenges as they might be recruited by terror groups, and asked state governments to identify and deport them.