The Supreme Court on Tuesday criticized the Assam government for its failure to deport individuals declared as "foreigners," while keeping them in detention centers indefinitely. The bench, led by Justices Abhay S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, expressed concern over the delay and questioned whether the state was waiting for an "auspicious time" (mahurat) to take action.
The court emphasized that once individuals are identified as "foreigners," they must be deported without delay. "You cannot detain them indefinitely. Once a person is declared a foreigner, the logical next step is to deport them," the bench stated.
The court directed the Assam government to begin deporting 63 individuals currently in detention centers within the next two weeks. Additionally, it ordered the state to file a compliance affidavit, ensuring that the deportation process begins without further delay.
In response to the government's justification that the addresses of these individuals were not known, the bench retorted, "Why should it be our concern? You deport them to their home country. Are you waiting for some auspicious time?" The bench further questioned the lack of action, highlighting the numerous foreigner detention centers in Assam and querying how many individuals had been deported to date.
The court was hearing a plea concerning the conditions at these detention centers and the delay in deportation of those declared as foreigners.
With PTI inputs