KATHMANDU, April 24: The Supreme Court (SC) has ruled that the four Bhutanese refugees currently in police custody in Jhapa, Kakarvitta should not be kept in prison.
The habeas corpus petition was filed by Narayan Kumar Suvedi on behalf of Ashok Gurung, Santosh Darji, Roshan Tamang, and Ashish Subedi, who are currently in detention.
Bhutanese refugees deserve to go home
Hearing the petition, a bench of justices Bal Krishna Dhakal and Nitya Nanda Pandey ruled that since the individuals had been residing at the Beldangi refugee camp in Jhapa before going to the United States, they should be transferred to the same camp or another suitable location instead of being kept in prison.
Along with the four individuals who recently entered Nepal, a total of 18 Bhutanese refugees were deported by the United States on March 24.
After being deported, the four reached Bhutan via India, but Bhutan expelled them from the country. They were then detained by the Immigration Office Kakarvitta and sent to the local police station for custody.
