The Supreme Court of India has declined to entertain a petition challenging the Assam government’s push-back policy, designed to tackle infiltration from Bangladesh. The court advised the petitioner, All BTC Minority Students Union, to approach the Guwahati High Court regarding the matter.
The petitioner alleges that the state of Assam has reportedly launched a sweeping and indiscriminate drive to detain and deport individuals suspected to be foreigners, lacking Foreigners Tribunal declarations, nationality verification, or having exhausted legal remedies.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has reaffirmed the state’s adherence to legal processes, stating, “We respect legal processes. If someone is fighting to prove their nationality, we don’t interfere.” He clarified that declared foreigners should exit Assam if no legal appeal is filed against tribunal decisions. Sarma insisted, “Our procedure is very simple, that if you are declared a foreign national, you have not preferred appeal against the order of the tribunal, then you are bound to be pushed back.”