SC quashes Assam Foreigners Order

The SC slams Govt for attempting to revive a piece of legislation the apex court had struck down last year.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday slapped the government on the wrist for attempting to revive a piece of legislation the court had struck down last year.

HT Image

The court declared as unconstitutional an Assam-specific notification concerning the identification of foreigners and illegal migrants. The court criticised the Centre for trying to circumvent its rejection of the Illegal Migrants Determination by Tribunal (IMDT) Act in 2005.

After the IMDT Act was scrapped, the person alleged to be a foreigner had to prove his credentials. But the Centre’s notifications — widely perceived as pandering to the minority vote bank — put the onus back on the complainant.