Supreme Court (SC) Pulls Up Assam Chief Secretary Alok Kumar

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday pulled up the Assam government over the plight of inmates lodged in the detention camps in Assam.

The apex court further criticized Assam Chief Secretary Alok Kumar after the later submitted an affidavit saying that the foreigners who have completed five years in detention centres may be released subject to furnishing a security of Rs 5 lakh, verifying his address, biometric of his eyes etc.

“You are asking the Supreme Court to be a part of an illegal order where a foreigner who has no right to stay in the country will remain and sign a bond and so on. Don’t you agree there has been failure on part of your government?” the bench observed.

Taking up the case of the plight of detainees at the detention camps, the apex court bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna sought details of the foreigners lodged in detention camps and what steps the Assam government had taken to deport them.

Chief Secretary Alok Kumar has said that he would come up with better measures for the inmates lodged in detention camps in Assam.

“These persons who are to be sent back to their countries are staying here illegally and have their names enrolled in the voters list,” the Chief Secretary informed the court.

The bench, however, said that the stand of the government of India and the State of Assam should be that the “foreigners detained should be deported as soon as possible. But we do not see that stand!”

The court was hearing on a petition filled by social activist Harsh Mander.

Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan while appearing for the petitioner requested the court for time to file his reply to the affidavit.

Meanwhile talking to the media over Thursday’s development, All Assam Students Union (AASU) chief advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya said, “AASU respects the decision of the Hon’ble Supreme Court. We believe that intervention of the Hon’ble court would definitely help in implementing the clause of the Assam Accord.”

“Both the Centre and Assam government should sincerely work in this direction so that Assam can’t become a dumping ground of illegal foreigners,” added Bhattacharya.

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