Updated: 23th march,2025

Thirteen of the sixty-three Bangladeshi nationals held in the Matia transit camp in Assam have been deported, the Supreme Court was notified on Friday, March 21. The statement was taken from Assam’s affidavit in a case involving the detention and deportation of foreigners in Assam by a bench consisting of Justices Abhay Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan.

It is pointed out that on the basis of document at Annexure ‘B’ that out of the list which is referred in our order dated February 4, 2025, 13 Bangladeshi Nationals have been deported to Bangladesh”, the Court recorded in its order.

Regarding 63 people in the transit camps whose nationality was verified, the Court had questioned the inaction on February 4, 2025. The Bangladeshi High Commission is now working on the verification procedure for the remaining detainees, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the Court on Friday.

Nationality status verification (NSV) papers were typically given to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on February 14, 2025, with reminders sent on that same day, according to a chart included in an affidavit submitted by the Assam government. Annexed to the affidavit was a handing over and taking over letter that verified the deportation of 13 Bangladeshi citizens. By April 30, 2025, the Assam government was ordered by the court to provide a new affidavit outlining the NSVs’ current status and any upcoming deportations. On May 6, 2025, the case will be heard again.

The fate of those whose nationality is still unknown is another important matter before the Court. The panel had previously ordered the Union of India to provide an explanation of its strategies for handling individuals whose nationalities are unclear but who have been proclaimed foreigners by the Foreigners Tribunals. The Court gave the center until the end of April 2025 to respond, and on May 6, 2025, it will also be taken into consideration.

BACKGROUND

For neglecting to start the deportation procedure for people whose nationalities were known, the Assam government was chastised by the Court on February 4, 2025. The state might deport such people to the capital city of the respective country, Justice Oka said, expressing unhappiness with the state’s assertion that the inmates’ foreign addresses were unavailable. He highlighted that indefinite confinement without further action was inappropriate and chastised the state for its negligence.

Senior Advocate Shadan Farasat brought up the fact that deportations were halted because officials just concluded that people were not Indian nationals without verifying their true nationality throughout the hearing. Senior Advocate Colin Gonsalves went on to say that Bangladesh was illegally detaining and effectively stateless some people by refusing to recognize them as its nationals. According to Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, there were two types of people: those whose nationality was known and those whose identity was yet unknown. Although the Court pointed out that deporting people in the first category was not difficult, it ordered the Union to make clear how it would handle the second category.