Assam: Dispur awaits Centre’s nod on salaries of Foreigners Tribunal members

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The Gauhati High Court was informed that the monthly salary of the members of the Foreigners Tribunals (FTs) has not been paid since April 2025 due to the Union Finance Ministry not issuing the necessary concurrence. Although the Union Home Ministry has already approved the extension of tenure of the existing members of FTs, the Assam government would not be in a position to release the monthly salary of the FT members until the necessary concurrence, which is still awaited after Dispur wrote to the central government on May 7, 2025, seeking the same.

This information was conveyed to Justice Suman Shyam during a hearing of a case (WP(C)/1754/2015) related to facilities for the members of the FTs.

Regarding this 'burning issue arising in this case', D. Mazumdar, Senior Additional Advocate General, Assam, submitted before the court that non-payment of salary of the members of the FTs since April 2025 is due to non-receipt of necessary approval from the Ministry of Finance, Government of India, without which the funds cannot be utilised for the purpose. Mazumdar submitted that although the Union Home Ministry has already approved the extension of tenure of the existing members of FTs, unless the Union Finance Ministry issues the necessary concurrence, the State of Assam would not be in a position to release the monthly salary of the members of the Foreigners Tribunals.

Mazumdar further submitted that on May 7, 2025, the State Government wrote to the Government of India seeking necessary concurrence, which is still awaited. The Additional Advocate General, however, could not apprise this Court as to the reason for the delay in receiving the approval from the Union Finance Ministry.

The court noted that "Members of the FTs are full-time salaried employees who are entirely dependent on their monthly salary for survival. Therefore, if the salary of the members is withheld for no valid reason, then it is undoubtedly going to cause serious injury to the interest of the members of the Foreigners Tribunals, thus having a potentially adverse bearing on the performance of their regular duty."

As the state's counsel did not have the requisite instructions, the court granted R.K.D. Choudhury, the Deputy Solicitor General of India (DSGI), time till the next date of hearing on June 27, 2025, to "seek instruction from the Union Finance Ministry about the status of the approval of the Ministry so as to facilitate expeditious disbursal of the current salary of the Members of the Foreigners Tribunals."

Also Read: Assam Govt Withdraws Pending Foreigners’ Tribunal Cases Against Koch Rajbongshi Community

Also Watch: