An NGO named Rohingya Human Rights Initiative has filed a plea in the Supreme Court, requesting directives for the Centre and the Delhi government to grant illegal Rohingyas residing in New Delhi access to schools and hospitals. Reports indicate that the case was heard on Monday (February 10) by Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh.
Last month, the Supreme Court instructed the petitioner NGO to provide details regarding the locations where Rohingya refugees are settled in Delhi and the facilities available to them.
The NGO, represented by Colin Gonsalves, was directed to submit an affidavit outlining the number of Rohingyas in Delhi, as the petitioner is an NGO and not a directly affected party. Gonsalves informed the court that Rohingya ‘refugees’ are being denied access to schools and hospitals due to the lack of Aadhaar cards.
“They are refugees having UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) cards and therefore they can’t have Aadhaar cards. But, for want of Aadhaar they are not being granted access to public schools and hospitals,” Gonsalves said.
The legal representative of the Rohingya Human Rights Initiative apprised the court that Rohingyas are living in Delhi's Shaheen Bagh, Kalindi Kunj, and Khajuri Khas areas. “In Shaheen Bagh and Kalindi Kunj they are residing in slums and in Khajuri Khas they are residing in rented accommodation,” Gonsalves said.
The plea filed by the NGO urged the Central and Delhi governments to grant free school admissions to Rohingya children, even in the absence of Aadhaar cards or Indian citizenship. Additionally, the PIL requested that these Rohingya ‘refugees’ be permitted to appear for all examinations, including Class 10, Class 12, and graduation, without being required to provide identification proof.
Beyond education, the plea also sought access to free healthcare services in government hospitals for Rohingya individuals residing illegally. Furthermore, it demanded that Rohingya families receive subsidized food grains under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana and benefits from the Food Security Act, regardless of their citizenship status.
Essentially, the Rohingya Human Rights Initiative and Colin Gonsalves are advocating for the Central and Delhi governments to extend the rights and benefits of Indian citizenship to Rohingya ‘refugees’ without them actually holding Indian citizenship.
Who is Colin Gonsalves?
Notably, advocate Colin Gonsalves is the founder of the Human Rights Law Network (HRLN), which operates under the umbrella of the Socio-Legal Information Centre. In the past, it has received funding from George Soros’s NGO. HRLN has been involved in various campaigns, including opposition to ISKCON’s Akshaya Patra initiative, advocacy against India’s sedition laws, and providing free legal aid to Rohingya Muslims in the country. Additionally, it has been actively pushing for the implementation of the RTE Act, which has reportedly impacted Hindu-run institutions. Reports suggest that HRLN, under Gonsalves’s leadership, also received ₹50 crores from four European churches to legally support individuals accused in the 2020 anti-CAA riots.
Moreover, HRLN has ties to numerous organizations across India that are alleged to challenge the nation’s territorial integrity. One such linked organization, the Right to Food Campaign (RFC), saw its members participate in protests against then-Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, allegedly attempting to undermine the credibility of the Indian judiciary.
The Socio-Legal Information Centre, which supports HRLN, has received significant funding from Bread for the World. A recent investigative report by OpIndia revealed that the organization has been offering free legal assistance to Rohingya detainees across the country. HRLN has also filed PILs concerning the implementation of the RTE Act and represented the mother of Najeeb, the missing JNU student, in the Supreme Court—leading to directives for a more rigorous investigation by the Delhi government, police, and JNU authorities. Additionally, HRLN played a key role in the movement to abolish sedition laws, working alongside PUCL, PUDR, APDR, CPDR, and APCLC—constituent organizations of CDRO, which has been extensively reported on.
Interestingly, in 2022, Colin Gonsalves represented pro-Hijab students in the Karnataka High Court when controversy arose over restrictions on wearing the Hijab in schools. He also defended Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair in the Supreme Court following his arrest for alleged Hinduphobic tweets and charges related to insulting Hindu seers and FCRA violations.
Rohingya Human Rights Initiative (R4R)
Founded in 2017, the Rohingya Human Rights Initiative (R4R) is a registered Public Charitable Trust and a non-profit, non-governmental organization. It receives funding from the Global Statelessness Fund (GSF), a project of the Netherlands-based Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion. Both the GSF and the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion receive financial support from George Soros’s Open Society Foundation, which specializes in funding regime change initiatives.
The timing of R4R’s establishment is notable, as it emerged soon after the 2016 launch of the Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative, a collaboration between George Soros’s Open Society Foundation, UNHCR, and the Government of Canada.
R4R’s Director of Education & Movement Building, Ali Johar (Maung Thein Shwe), originally from Myanmar’s Rakhine state, came to India in 2005. He was a fellow in Refugees International’s (RI) inaugural refugee fellows program. RI’s president, Jeremy Konyndyk, previously worked for USAID, an organization criticized for funding media, activists, rights groups, and even extremist outfits. Konyndyk served as director of USAID’s Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance until the Trump administration curtailed USAID operations. Ali Johar is also affiliated with the Free Rohingya Coalition, which receives funding from the Global Statelessness Fund.
Another key figure in R4R is advisor Ravi Hemadri, who leads the Development and Justice Initiative (DAJI). This initiative runs the Right to Nationality and Citizenship Network (RNCN), advocating for Indian citizenship for all children born in India, regardless of their parents’ immigration status. “We at Right to Nationality and Citizenship Network (RNCN) firmly believe that the right to citizenship of no child born on the soil of India can be taken away. It is a natural and birth right of every child,” the RNCN’s website reads.
Interestingly, Ravi Hemadri was formerly the Director of The Other Media NGO, which played a key role in protests against Vedanta Sterlite in Tamil Nadu. In 2023, OpIndia reported allegations that this NGO had been misusing foreign funds to orchestrate protests and demonstrations against Vedanta’s Sterlite Copper plant in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu.
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