The two Rohingya refugees who have approached India's top court against the government's plans to deport them have said that the community has no connection to any criminal or terrorist activity.

In a rejoinder affidavit filed in the Supreme Court of India on Thursday, Mohammad Salimullah and Mohammad Shaqir said, "there are a number of Rohingya Muslims (as they have been called) -- like the petitioners -- who are peace-loving, having no connection whatever with any criminal activity -- much less terrorist activity…"

They said they had been "compelled to seek shelter in India due to religious persecution" and as a matter of fact the petitioners had entered India in 2011 (Shaqir) and 2012 (Salimullah), reports our New Delhi correspondent.

The Indian government filed an affidavit with the apex court on Monday terming an estimated 40,000 Rohingyas who had crossed over to India as "illegal immigrants" and said that their continuance in the country posed a threat to national security.

However, the rejoinder by the two Rohingya petitioners said the allegation was not substantiated by any evidence, the New Delhi correspondent added.

"The argument that the Rohingyas pose a threat to national security is not substantiated with any evidence. To the contrary, it may be noted that the reply of the Minister in Charge (Home) in the Jammu and Kashmir (Mehbooba Mufti) legislative assembly budget session 2017, on whether Rohingyas have been involved in militancy and other crimes, stated no Rohingya (Burmese) has been found involved in militancy related incidents. Seventeen FIRs have been registered against 38 Rohingya for various offences relating to illegal border crossing," the rejoinder claimed.

The government affidavit referred to terror links of some members of the Rohingya community.

But the rejoinder said, "The government cannot make a blanket claim that all Rohingya refugees have terror links and there being a fear of them being radicalised by terror recruits operating in India."

"Specific allegations against individual members of Rohingya community in India need to be dealt with on a case to case basis. Apart from the fact that there is no complaint against the petitioners of any illegal activity, according to our information, there is not a single FIR registered against Rohingyas in any matter that would jeopardise national security.

"If there is some credible evidence or information that any members of the Rohingya community/refugees are involved in any activity that would harm national security interests of India, those individuals may either be dealt with in accordance with Indian law or they can be refused refugee status under the exclusion clause of the 1951 Refugee Convention," the rejoinder said.

The Rohingya petitioners pointed to numerous occasions where India, despite not being a signatory to two international agreements on refugees, had reiterated its policy of compassion and non-forcible return of refugees.

They said Rohingya were not seeking a right to move freely or reside anywhere within India but seeking protection of their right to life guaranteed to all persons in India by the Indian Constitution under Article 21.

"If forcibly deported to Myanmar, the Rohingyas face imminent threat to their lives," the rejoinder said.