Guwahati: Former Gauhati High Court judge Justice Biplab Kumar Sharma has raised serious concerns over the presence of foreign nationals in Assam’s electoral rolls, saying that even those declared foreigners have managed to obtain passports and contest elections in the State.
Justice Sharma said the issue underscores an urgent need for intensive revision of Assam’s electoral rolls, as lapses in inter-departmental coordination continue to allow illegal migrants to misuse official systems.
“While functioning as a judge, I came across several cases where foreigners managed to obtain various documents, including voter IDs and passports,” he said. He recalled that the Assam Agitation of 1979 began after a large number of foreigners were found in the Mangaldoi constituency’s electoral rolls, a situation that still finds echoes today.
Justice Sharma revealed that during his tenure, he encountered a case where a declared foreigner contested elections, and in another instance, a person declared a foreigner by the Foreigners’ Tribunal managed to obtain an Indian passport. “When I questioned the passport authorities, they said it was issued based on police verification. This clearly shows a serious communication gap between the departments concerned,” he noted.
He further added, “That is why I once said that foreigners have become kingmakers in Assam.” Sharma observed that even when tribunals declared individuals as foreigners, their names were often not deleted from the voter list.
He recalled that in 2008, after he flagged this issue, the government introduced the concept of detention camps to detain declared foreigners who had evaded deportation.
Justice Sharma warned that the actual number of foreigners on the electoral rolls remains unknown, as only a few cases reach the High Court. “No one exactly knows how many foreigners have managed to include their names in the electoral rolls and thereby influence the political process,” he said.
Referring to his role as the Chairman of the Clause 6 Committee formed by the Central Government, Justice Sharma said the panel had submitted its report in February 2020. “I have read that the State Government has started implementing recommendations under its jurisdiction. But the main provisions will require constitutional amendments, and the Centre must take necessary steps,” he stated.
Justice Sharma concluded by reiterating the urgent need for transparent and coordinated action between the Election Commission, Police, and NRC authorities to restore faith in Assam’s voter verification process.