The Supreme Court has asked the Assam Government and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to clarify their deportation plan for 211 foreign nationals detained in a transit camp in Assam’s Goalpara district. Among them, 66 have been identified as Bangladeshi nationals.
The Court, led by Justices Abhay S. Oka and Augustine George Masih, is hearing a petition regarding the conditions of Assam’s detention facilities. The bench cited a report by the Assam District Legal Services Authority, calling the living conditions in the camps “deplorable” due to issues like water shortages and poor sanitation.
During the hearing, the Ministry of Home Affairs noted that the power to deport or repatriate foreign nationals rests with the Central Government, though it has been delegated to the state. Justice Oka emphasized that both state and central authorities must collaborate in the deportation process.
Assam’s counsel informed the Court that nationality verification for the detainees is pending diplomatic discussions with Bangladesh, as verification forms were sent to the Ministry of External Affairs in 2019.
