NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has criticized the Assam government for not deporting those identified as foreigners, questioning the inaction of the state. In a recent hearing, the bench comprising Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan asked if the government was waiting for an auspicious moment "muhurat" to proceed with the deportation of 63 people currently held in detention centers.
Justice Oka stated that the Assam government had to take some very bold decisions and especially at the time when it was updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC). He said that the state had allegedly concealed facts and Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta accepted some lapses and apologized for the situation.
The court was obviously frustrated as Justice Oka warned that a perjury notice will be issued and that the government must clarify its position on the matter. He pointed out the lack of clear dates on when the verification process would take place and termed the affidavit submitted as defective.
Justice Bhuyan further highlighted the sense of urgency to the situation. Once a person is declared a foreigner, the logical step would be deportation, not indefinite detention. He pointed out that there are numerous foreigner detention centers in Assam and sought to know the number of deportations that have taken place.
The bench directed the Assam government to expedite the deportation process, stressing that the status of citizenship is known and that waiting for further information is unnecessary. Justice Oka also questioned why the state had not approached the Ministry of External Affairs for assistance in facilitating the deportations.
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