Raijor Dal founder and Sibsagar MLA Akhil Gogoi has welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to set aside 27 Gauhati High Court judgments that had upheld orders of the Foreigners Tribunals declaring individuals as foreigners, describing the ruling as a strong reminder that citizenship issues must be decided strictly according to law.Reacting to the apex court’s verdict on Monday, Gogoi criticised the Assam government and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, alleging that the administration had been attempting to bypass established legal procedures in matters relating to citizenship.”The verdict of the Supreme Court is a big slap on the Chief Minister’s face,” Gogoi told reporters while responding to the judgment.He alleged that the Chief Minister had recently been claiming that people could be detained as “doubtful citizens” without approaching a court. According to Gogoi, such a course of action would not be supported by law.
“Nowadays, the Chief Minister is asserting that one does not need to approach a court to detain someone by labelling them a ‘doubtful citizen’. He claims that SPs and DCs can directly detain individuals and send them to jail. This is not a legal precedent; it is an illegal one,” Gogoi said.The Raijor Dal leader further alleged that the Assam government had been exerting pressure on courts and Foreigners Tribunals to declare individuals as foreigners. He claimed that the government was attempting to influence the legal process and push for the removal of those declared foreigners.”The Assam government is repeatedly pressuring our courts and tribunals to declare people as ‘foreigners’ at any cost, and is also pushing for a process to remove them once they are declared foreigners,” he alleged.Welcoming the Supreme Court’s intervention, Gogoi said the judgment should serve as a warning to the state government to respect the rule of law and ensure that citizenship-related cases are handled through a fair legal process.
“That is why this Supreme Court verdict serves as a warning to our government to uphold the rule of law. I welcome this Supreme Court verdict and hope that the Assam government will abide by the rule of law,” he said.The Supreme Court recently set aside 27 Gauhati High Court judgments that had affirmed the decisions of the Foreigners Tribunals declaring individuals as foreigners. The apex court remanded the cases to the respective tribunals for fresh adjudication, observing that questions relating to citizenship and foreigner status must be decided through a process that is fair, lawful and reasonable.