Assam: Supreme Court orders immediate deportation of 63 declared foreigners

Guwahati: The Supreme Court strongly criticized the Assam government and the Centre for "indefinitely" detaining individuals declared as "foreigners" instead of deporting them.

The apex court directed the immediate deportation of 63 detainees within two weeks, questioning the state's delay in taking action.

A bench of Justices AS Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan stated that indefinite detention in camps violates basic human rights.

The court dismissed Assam officials' argument that deportation was difficult due to unknown addresses in their home countries, asserting that "even without an address, you can deport them. It is for the other country to decide where they should go".

Justice Oka further added, "If the person is from Pakistan, you know the capital city. How can you keep them detained here?"

The court mandated Assam to proceed with deportation irrespective of incomplete foreign addresses.

The SC also directed the Assam Government to improve detainee facilities and form a committee to inspect detention centres every 15 days.

The case is scheduled for further hearing on February 25.

The Supreme Court's directives came after it questioned Assam over the confinement of 270 foreign nationals at the Matia detention centre in Goalpara on December 9, 2024, and deemed the state's response "defective" and "grossly inadequate" on January 22.