ANURADHA DEBBARMA Vs. UNION OF INDIA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THIS is a public interest litigation filed by the petitioner, who is a practicing lawyer in Agartala, wherein she has brought out the difficulties being faced by the Bru (Reang) refugees, who have been forced to leave Mizoram and are living in refugee camps in the State of Tripura.

(2.) WE had passed a detailed order on 6th May, 2014 and, therefore, do not want to repeat what was mentioned in that order. What we would however like to point out is that we on the basis of the allegations made in the petition had come to the conclusion that the condition of the refugees in the refugee camps is very poor and we had pointed out the comparisons given by the petitioner with regard to the amount being paid to the Bru refugees, vis -à -vis the amount being paid to Kashmiri refugees, refugees from Sri Lanka etc. and had thereafter directed the Union of India to constitute a committee to look into the allegations made in the petition so that the conditions in the camps could be improved. The relevant portion of the order reads as follows:

(3.) THE prayer is twofold. The first part is that we may modify the order and direct the Bru migrants to co -operate with the Union of India. As far as clarifying this portion of the order is concerned, there is no problem with the same. We do hope and expect that the migrants who are living in the migrant camps should also be ready to go back to Mizoram. Having said so, we cannot expect them to co -operate unless the situation in Mizoram is congenial enough for them to go back to Mizoram. We must remember that these are refugees who have left their homeland Mizoram not because they wanted to come to Tripura on their own volition but because they were virtually forced to leave Mizoram. They are not engaged in any gainful employment in Tripura but are living in sub -human conditions in refugee camps.