Hyderabad, May 19 -- The Supreme Court on Monday, May 19, rejected a Sri Lankan Tamil man's plea for refuge in India, asserting that the country "is not a dharamshala (free shelter)" to accommodate refugees from across the world.

Convicted under UAPA, sentenced to jail

A bench comprising Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice K Vinod Chandran was hearing the petition of a man arrested in 2015 for alleged links with the banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Convicted under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, he was sentenced to 10 years in jail by a trial court in 2018. In 2022, the Madras High Court reduced his sentence to seven years but directed that he be kept in a refugee camp and deported once his term ended.

Petition...