India On Deporting 63 Foreigners From Assam

The Supreme Court criticized the Assam government for detaining 63 individuals, declared as foreigners, indefinitely in detention centers. The bench, comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, questioned the delay in deportation, asking if the state was "waiting for an auspicious time." The court emphasized that once a person is declared a foreigner, deportation should follow promptly. 

Assam’s claim of not knowing the detainees' addresses was dismissed, with the court asserting it’s the state's duty to deport them to their respective countries. The bench highlighted that indefinite detention violates Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to life and personal liberty. 

The court demanded to know how many detainees had been deported so far, stressing that people cannot be held forever without resolution. This directive came during a hearing on the deportation process and conditions in Assam’s foreigner detention centers.