"Internal Affairs": Top Court Junks PIL On Violence Against Hindus In Bangladesh

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a Public Interest Litigation plea that sought protection of Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh amid the ongoing violence.

A Bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar stated that the matter pertains to foreign affairs and that the Court cannot comment on the internal affairs of another country.

After noting the aforesaid, the petitioner withdrew the plea and the matter was dismissed.

The petition was filed by a Ludhiana-based businessman and philanthropist Rajesh Dhanda, Chairman of Bhagwan Jagannath Rath Yatra Mahotsav Committee, Ludhiana and Vice Chairman of ISKCON Mandir Steering Board.

Besides the protection of Hindus from violence in Bangladesh, the plea also sought an extension of the deadline for consideration of applications for citizenship to Hindus who have entered India in the wake of violence.

Pertinently, the plea had sought the top court's direction to the Central government to take immediate diplomatic or other steps recognised in international laws to prevent the atrocities, persecution and other offences being committed upon Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh in the interest of justice.

Further, the plea had also sought the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to direct the High Commission of India in Bangladesh to offer aid and assist the affected Hindu minorities facing religious and state-sponsored persecution.

Plea had stated that there are ample instances in modern history wherein many sovereign nations have utilised International Forums like International Court of Justice and United Nations in raising issues related to violation of human rights in other sovereign nations.

Moreover, it was contended that the respondent Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has failed to take any such visible international measures to protect the rights of minorities in Bangladesh.

It stated that there are conditions of the minorities (Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and other religious minorities) in Bangladesh that are on the brink of exodus due to rampant state-sponsored religious attacks. There is an immediate necessity to create political pressure and take measures in accordance with international laws on the current administration of Bangladesh to stop ongoing atrocities on Hindus residing there.

The recent uprising of the religious groups after the downfall of democratically elected in Bangladesh has resulted in mass killings, abductions, forced snatching of properties and other criminal acts against minorities in Bangladesh, the plea added.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 fixed a cut-off date for inclusion of their names or being eligible for taking benefits of the Act as 31.12.2014. As per the plea, the recent mass killings and persecutions being done on Hindus in Bangladesh required that the cut-off dates may be extended for consideration under The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019. The Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh or Pakistan deserve immediate intervention and help from the Union of Government, the plea read.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)