On Thursday, the Supreme Court issued an interim order not to immediately deport four Bhutanese refugees who were deported from America and then returned to Nepal.

The single bench of Judge Hari Prasad Phuyal has ordered the government to make them appear before the court on May 11. On behalf of Ashok Gurung, Santosh Darji, Roshan Tamang and Ashish Subedi, who are in custody, Narayan Kumar Subedi filed a writ of custody.

In the preliminary hearing on the writ, the court asked them not to evict them immediately. All four are Bhutanese citizens of Nepalese origin. who were living as refugees in Nepal decades ago. They were later resettled in the United States under the United Nations Resettlement Program and were deported by the US government on March 11. They have been deported for being involved in criminal activities. 

After deportation, they reached Bhutan via Delhi, India. But the Bhutanese government not only rejected them but also expelled them. They entered Nepal illegally on the night of Chait 13th. On March 14, three people were arrested from Beldangi refugee camp in Damak and two days later another refugee, Ashok Gurung, was arrested from Bahundangi. Two days ago, a report was submitted to the government about the intention to deport them, who are being investigated by the Immigration Department under police custody.  

In the meantime, the writ petitioner has sought the Supreme Court's attention, claiming that they were detained illegally. The United States made a list of 63 Bhutanese refugees to be deported because they were involved in criminal activities. Out of them, 13 and 5 more refugees have been handed over to the Bhutanese government so far. 4 refugees have been arrested in Nepal. The remaining 14 people do not have a hospital. Rights activists have been demanding for the protection of their livelihood.