NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday extended till March 21, the deadline for the Centre to submit its detailed comprehensive report regarding compliance with the court’s earlier order directing deportation of 270 foreign nationals detained in various transit camps in Assam to their respective country.
A two-judge bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan adjourned the hearing to March 21, after the Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta, senior law officer appearing for the Centre, sought more time to file a report in the sensitive matter.
SG Mehta, on Tuesday, told the top court that the Centre was seeking additional time to conclude “deliberations at the highest level”. “The issue of deportation of persons (detained in correctional or transit camps across Assam) and declared foreigners in Assam was under consideration at the highest executive level. If granted time, I will place on record the decision taken by the competent authority,” Mehta told the SC.
Allowing his plea, the SC granted more time till March 21, and asked him to file a reply on the decision on deporting the identified foreigners to their respective country.
The court was hearing the deportation of 270 foreign nationals detained in Assam’s transit camps. It was informed by the Assam government that deportation proceedings for 63 detainees had been stalled due to the absence of their address in the foreign country.
On February 4, the SC expressed its strongest displeasure over the way the state of Assam has failed to take decision over the deportation of individuals declared as foreigners. It had asked and observed the action of Assam govt, as “are you waiting for some muhurat,” to deport those detained persons, who are held to be foreigners.
While passing direction, the top court ordered the Assam govt to initiate the process to deport 63 persons, who are detained as foreigners, to their native country.
Slamming the Assam govt for not deporting foreigners, the apex court said, “Once they are held to be foreigners, they should be deported immediately. You know their citizenship status. Then how can you wait till their address is received? It is for the other country to decide where they should go,” it stated.
The Supreme Court was hearing the case of petitioner Rajubala against the Central government over the issue of deportation of foreigners.
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