ON DECEMBER 16, 2025, while hearing a case concerning the custodial disappearance of five Rohingya persons, the Supreme Court of India granted the Union government two weeks to file its affidavit and scheduled the matter for hearing on January 13, 2026.
The case will be taken up independently on that date, alongside a batch of tagged matters raising broader questions on the legal status and rights of Rohingya refugees. The habeas corpus petition, filed by human rights activist Rita Manchanda, calls for disclosure of official records concerning the disappearance of five Rohingya persons, including a minor, who were taken into custody by officials in Delhi in May, this year.
Advocate Ujjaini Chatterji, appearing for Manchanda requested the Court that the petition be tagged with the related matters, as had been discussed earlier this month on December 2. Chatterji also emphasised that in habeas corpus proceedings, locus standi was not a barrier, as already clarified by the court in earlier jurisprudence. The request for tagging was opposed by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Union of India.
Despite the opposition, the bench comprising CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi indicated that it would not rush the hearing or conclusion of such issues and granted the Respondents two weeks’ time to place a status affidavit on record. The Court accordingly listed the matter separately for further consideration on January 13, 2026, while indicating that it would be heard on the same day as other connected cases.
