The Madras High Court on Monday dismissed a public interest litigation petition which sought a direction to the State government to provide Pongal gift hampers to over 32,000 Sri Lankan refugees residing outside the camps.
Acting Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice P.D. Audikesavalu said the government could not be compelled to extend the benefit even to those who had willingly chosen to eke out a livelihood on their own.
Ramu Manivanan, former head of the department of Politics and Public Administration, University of Madras, had filed the PIL petition. He claimed to have been working for the welfare of the Sri Lankan refugees for over two decades.
The litigant stated that the influx of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees into Tamil Nadu had happened in four phases due to an upsurge in ethnic conflict in the island nation between 1983 and 2012. Though most of the refugees resided in camps, some resided outside too.
According to his estimate, over 94,000 refugees were residing in 108 camps in 15 districts and around 13,500 families were residing outside the camps. He said the government provided regular financial assistance and relief materials only to camp inmates.
Refugees residing outside the camps had taken up only menial jobs and they too suffer to earn a living, the petitioner said and pointed out that the COVID-19 lockdown had led to many of them losing their jobs and income. He insisted on extending government benefits to them too.
