Assam Government failed to deport declared foreigners: CJI Ranjan Gogoi

Guwahati, April 26, 2019:

The Supreme Court has slammed the Assam Government for proposing to conditionally release the foreigners and monitor declared foreigners who have to suffer in the detention camp over five years were proposed to release by the Assam Government on Thursday.

Reacting over which, a three judge’s bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI), Ranjan Gogoi stated that the court would not be a party to such a move which is both illegal and violation of the Constitution.

It may also be mentioned that the proposed measure was declared as Government’s failure to deport declared foreigners by CJI Ranjan Gogoi. He said, “You have no right to continue in office after authoring such an affidavit... This court will not be a party to such an unheard-of arrangement. You have 900 detainees when lakhs of illegal foreigners have already intermingled with the local population.”

Chief Justice Gogoi also mentioned that most of these foreigners are in the voters’ list and are taking part in the political system of this country. Criticizing Assam Chief Secretary Alok Kumar over its functioning government, the CJI said, “All you have is 900 people kept in sub-human conditions in your detention centers.”

The CJI said the Supreme Court wanted a response from Kumar since he had authored the affidavit. Kumar apologized to the Bench for the affidavit and said he would come back with other measures.  However, the CJI intervened and questioned, “What other measures? That you will provide these detainees five-star facilities or you will beg and plead with their countries to take them back?” as quoted in The Hindu

The Assam Government’s affidavit proposed a measure to release foreigners who have completed five years in detention centers subject to their furnishing security of Rs 5 lakh, verification of address and collection of their biometrics.