NEW DELHI: “India is not a dharamshala (free shelter) that can accommodate refugees from all over the world,” the Supreme Court observed on Monday while dismissing a Sri Lankan national’s plea seeking direction to take refuge here, as he claimed that his life was in danger in his home country. A two-judge bench of the top court, led by Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice K Vinod Chandran, observed that India cannot afford to host refugees as it is already struggling to manage its population of 140 crore.”This is not a dharamshala, where we can entertain foreign nationals from everywhere. Please go to some other country,” the bench stated.The apex court responded to a plea filed by the Sri Lankan man challenging an order issued by the Madras High Court directing him to leave India immediately after completing a seven-year prison sentence under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA). The petitioner was arrested by Indian prosecuting agencies here in 2015 following suspicions of the man’s alleged links to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a banned terrorist organisation in Sri Lanka. After the trial concluded in 2018, a sessions court convicted him under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and sentenced him to 10 years in jail.
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