HC to review 230 judgments of Foreigners' Tribuls

*     Home dept asked to submit records of judgments

*    FTs impartiality in gaon & lbari under scanner

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, March 9: In a development that cast aspersions on impartial and transparent functioning of Foreigners’ Tribuls (FTs) in the State, the Gauhati High Court has instructed the Home department to seize all records and case diaries in connections with 230 judgments delivered by the FTs in gaon and lbari districts.

Sources told The Sentinel that the High Court’s instruction to the Home department to seize records and case diaries came after the court had doubted 230 judgments delivered by the FTs in Juria and Dhing in gaon district and FT in lbari. In all these judgments the FTs had declared the accused as Indian tiols or citizens. While some of these judgments were delivered without sigtures of FT judges, many of them were written without mentioning details of records and case diaries.  

According to sources 230 judgments that raised doubts about credibility and impartiality of FTs in gaon and lbari districts might be a tip of an iceberg. There might be several such erroneous judgments, the source said.

Credibility and image of FTs which were set up in the State to ascertain citizenship of a suspected person, are under scanner of the Gauhati High Court as well Assam Government. There are allegations and reports that many FTs have been declaring suspected illegal Bangladeshi tiols as Indian citizens without any proper verification of documents and records. Instead of declaring many accused as illegal foreigners some FTs in the recent time delivered judgments in favour of the former, the source said, adding that the State Government last year removed judges of 19 FTs after their performance was not found up to the mark.   

Official sources while admitting the fact that functioning of some of the FTs are disappointing, said it is humanly not possible to scrutinize each and every judgments. Man power shortage is also affecting effective functioning of FTs in the State where 2 lakh cases are currently pending. The government has also faced hassles in finding suitable persons in the State to appoint as judges in FTs as per the Supreme Court guidelines, the source said.

“Despite hassles the State Government is taking all steps to prevent FTs to deliver erroneous and faulty judgments. The Gauhati High Court is doing its best to streamline the functioning of FTs,” the official source said.