44 Former Judges Support CJI; Say Rohingya Remarks Misrepresented on Social Media

A major development has emerged as 44 former judges have issued a statement in support of the Chief Justice of India, clarifying that his remarks on Rohingya migrants were being distorted and taken out of context. The former judges said the CJI never endorsed any inhumane treatment, nor did he refer to illegal entrants as refugees. They stressed that individuals who enter the country unlawfully cannot be categorised as refugees, and raised serious concerns over how some of them managed to obtain Aadhaar and ration cards. The controversy began after social media outrage over the CJI’s courtroom observation during a hearing involving five Rohingya individuals who reportedly went missing from police custody. Several online posts criticised the CJI, suggesting he advocated special treatment for illegal migrants. However, legal reporters clarified that his remarks were made in the context of repeated petitions filed regarding missing Rohingya and Bangladeshi detainees, where petitioners often sought special facilities for them. Our correspondent Nipun Sehgal explains that this backlash largely originated from misinterpretations online. According to him, the CJI was merely questioning whether illegal entrants should receive more privileges than Indian citizens, not advocating preferential treatment. The former judges’ statement emphasises that the CJI’s comments have been wrongly sensationalised, and that the real issue is the presence of forged documents and the ease with which infiltrators accessed Indian welfare systems.