The Supreme Court on Tuesday reviewed the case concerning the deportation of 270 foreign nationals detained in transit camps across Assam. During the proceedings, the apex court sought a response from the central government regarding its compliance with an earlier directive. Since no conclusive date was provided, the court set a deadline of March 21 for the government to submit its report. The Centre, on its part, informed the court that discussions on the matter are ongoing and requested additional time.
On the appeal of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, a bench comprising Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan decided to defer the hearing. The bench acknowledged Mehta’s statement that the deportation issue is being handled at the highest level and that the government will officially record its decision once a final conclusion is reached.
Centre Requests Additional Time
Solicitor General Mehta had requested an extension to present the Centre’s response. On Monday, he had assured the court that the government needed two more weeks to finalize its stance. The Supreme Court has also criticized the Assam government for keeping foreign nationals in indefinite detention instead of expediting their deportation.
In an earlier session, the court expressed concern over the state’s delay and questioned whether the government was waiting for an auspicious time (‘Muhurta’) to deport the detainees. The bench also observed that the Assam government was withholding crucial information and emphasized that once an individual is confirmed as a foreigner, they should be deported without unnecessary delay.
SC Questions Assam’s Justification
The Supreme Court raised serious concerns regarding Assam’s argument that deportation was stalled due to the lack of known addresses of detainees in their respective home countries. The bench dismissed this justification, stating that the primary responsibility of the state is to ensure deportation rather than search for addresses abroad.
‘Why should this be our concern?’ the SC bench questioned. ‘You need to send them back to their country. Are you waiting for a Muhurta?’ The court expressed its dismay at Assam’s claim that it had not forwarded nationality verification forms to the Ministry of External Affairs due to the unavailability of detainees’ foreign addresses.
Court Orders Centre to Provide Details on Past Deportations
In a firm directive, the Supreme Court instructed the Centre to provide detailed records of foreign nationals deported so far. Additionally, the government was asked to outline a clear strategy for dealing with cases where detainees’ nationalities remain unverified in the future. The court stressed the urgency of resolving this matter to prevent prolonged illegal detention of foreign nationals.
With the next hearing set for March 21, all eyes are on the Centre’s response and the measures it will implement to address the concerns raised by the Supreme Court.
