Staff Reporter
Guwahati: The Centre has told the Supreme Court that a foreign national, whose nationality is not verified, cannot be deported unless his home country confirms the nationality and agrees to accept him into the country.
The Ministry of Home Affairs made the submission in an affidavit filed before the apex court in a plea challenging the indefinite detention of individuals declared foreigners in Assam without prospects of deportation.
The Centre said in the submission before the SC, "A foreign national whose nationality is unknown/unverified can be deported to their home country only upon confirmation of their nationality/possession of a valid travel document/acceptance by the home country concerned. The deportation procedure cannot be initiated without nationality verification."
The state Home and Political Department recently informed the Assam Assembly that the declared Bangladeshis are kept in detention camps. "We send the documents of the declared Bangladeshis to the authorities in Bangladesh through the Government of India for verification of their nationality. After receiving a positive response from Bangladesh, we hand over the deported foreigners to Bangladeshi authorities. We have handed over 402 declared foreigners to the Bangladeshi authorities between 2013 and June 2026. The department also informed the House that as of June 2026, as many as 174 declared Bangladeshis have been languishing in the detention camp at Matia in the Goalpara district and 45 in the holding centre in the Sribhumi district.
According to the Centre, a foreign national can be deported by the concerned state, Union Territory, or the Foreigners Regional Registration Office, after completion of the sentence or court proceedings, provided the individual possesses a valid travel document or passport and no other criminal case is pending against them. "It is necessary to obtain the requisite travel document from the Embassy/High Commission of the country concerned through the process of nationality verification before he/she can be deported," the Centre said in its submission.
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