Thane: Judge GT Pawar of additional sessions on Monday sentenced eight Rohingya Muslims to two years of simple imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 for illegally entering and living in India without appropriate documents. The court also ordered Myanmar to exile on his sentence. The ninth accused, who was accused of abolishing his illegal entry, was acquitted due to lack of evidence.The case is back on 2024 February, when the police received a tip-off about some foreign nationals living on the north. During an raid in Chowgong, the police tried to escape several persons. When in custody, they were found carrying an UNHCR card that confirmed his Myanmar citizenship. However, the court clarified that such cards do not have any legal values in India, as the country is not a signator for the 1951 refugee conference or its 1967 protocol. Foreigners ‘Regional Registration Office and Police Officers’ letters further confirmed that the holders of the UNHCR card were not allowed to live in India.Judge Pawar cited SC’s decision in Mohammad Salimullah vs India (2021), which allowed the exile of Rohingya Muslims. The court also mentioned the previous decisions and said that the burden of proving citizenship lies on the accused. During the sentence, the accused appealed for mercy on humanitarian grounds, stating that the conditions in Myanmar were unsafe. However, the court dismissed this petition, given that India’s population burden and internal security concerns eliminate such ideas.
