Supreme Court slams centre and Assam govt over little progress on migrants issue

It has become a joke and you haven't done anything, the Supreme Court said on Wednesday while pulling up the Centre and Assam government over deportation of illegal migrants from the state. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi directed the Assam Chief Secretary to file an affidavit about the number of persons lodged in the detention centres. It then posted the matter for hearing on March 27.

During the hearing of a PIL by a social activist, Harsh Mander, regarding the state of detention centres, the court slammed the Assam government for its laxity in acting against illegal migrants. Reprimanding the state government for inadequate functioning of foreigners tribunals, the bench also asked as to what it has done to tackle the serious problem.

The bench wanted to know from the central and Assam governments the steps they have taken to deal with the threat of external aggression in the state. The plea sought a direction from the court for humane treatment of the immigrants held in detention centres in Assam.

It also submitted that the immigrants be treated as refugees, pending their repatriation. Such people have been detained either because they have been declared as foreigners by one of the 100 foreigners tribunals in Assam or after serving out their sentence for illegally entering India, pending deportation.

(With inputs from agencies.)