
Assam pushed back 303 ‘foreigners' under 1950 expulsion law, says CM Himanta Sarma
The Assam government has 'pushed back' 303 'foreigners' and will continue to do so under the 1950 Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday.
'Another 35 is in our hand and they will be sent once the [flood] waters recede,' the Bharatiya Janata Party leader told the state Assembly. 'The Supreme Court clearly said the illegal expulsion act is valid and if the government wishes, they can expel the foreigners without going to Foreigners Tribunals.'
Sarma's remarks in the Assembly came two days after he claimed that persons declared foreigners were being ' pushed back ' to Bangladesh under a legal framework.
The Supreme Court, while hearing the challenges to Section 6A of the 1955 Citizenship Act, had said that 'there is no legal requirement for the Assam government to always approach the judiciary in order to identify foreigners', Sarma had told reporters on Saturday.
In October, the Supreme Court had upheld the constitutional validity of Section 6A of the 1955 Citizenship Act.
Section 6A was introduced as a special provision under the Act when the Assam Accord was signed between the Union government and leaders of the Assam Movement in 1985. It allows foreigners who came to Assam between January 1, 1966, and March 25, 1971, to seek Indian citizenship.
Indigenous groups in Assam have alleged that this provision in the Act had legalised infiltration by migrants from Bangladesh.
On Monday, Sarma claimed in the Assembly that the Supreme Court's judgment on Section 6A 'has given sweeping powers to the Assam government'.
'The Supreme Court has said that 1950 act remains valid and operative,' Sarma said. 'By the order of the court, every deputy commissioner is empowered to evict anybody whom he feels is a foreigner. This is an infallible weapon given to the state government by the Constitutional bench.'
The BJP leader also noted that the Supreme Court had also criticised the state government for not deporting alleged foreigners. 'So there is a pressure from the Supreme Court on the state government to act on the expulsion of the foreigners,' Sarma said.
Stating that 303 persons had been 'pushed back', he added that the action would be intensified under the 1950 law, Sarma said.
'If a deputy commissioner finds prime facie evidence against a person that is an illegal foreigner, that person can be expelled to Bangladesh or pushed back without referring to the Foreigners' Tribunals as per the illegal expulsion act 1950,' Sarma said.
The chief minister also told the Assembly that two to four persons, who had received a stay from the Supreme Court and the High Court against their deportations, were also 'pushed back'.
'Through the diplomatic channel, we have also brought them back,' Sarma added.
Deportations
On May 31, the chief minister confirmed that Assam was 'pushing back' to Bangladesh persons who have been declared foreigners by the state's Foreigners Tribunals.
Foreigners Tribunals in Assam are quasi-judicial bodies that adjudicate on matters of citizenship. However, the tribunals have been accused of arbitrariness and bias, and of declaring people foreigners on the basis of minor spelling mistakes, a lack of documents or lapses in memory.
Sarma's May 31 statement had come against the backdrop of an increase in detentions of declared foreigners in Assam since May 23. Families say they have no information on their relatives' whereabouts. Some of them have identified their missing relatives in videos from Bangladesh, alleging they were forcibly sent across the border.
Sarma had claimed that the process of pushing back foreigners was being taken as per the directives issued by the Supreme Court in February.
On February 4, the Supreme Court directed the state government to start the process of deporting foreign nationals being held in the state's detention centres immediately.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)

Business Standard
39 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Kerala HC summons Priyanka Gandhi in petition challenging Wayanad win
The Kerala High Court on Tuesday issued summons to Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in response to a petition filed by Navya Haridas, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate who contested the Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll in November 2024. The petition challenges the validity of Gandhi's electoral victory, alleging suppression of critical financial information. Justice K Babu admitted the petition after hearing arguments from Haridas's counsel and scheduled the matter for further hearing in August, according to a report by Bar and Bench. The bypoll and results The by-election was necessitated after Rahul Gandhi vacated the Wayanad seat to retain Rae Bareli. Priyanka Gandhi contested in his place, marking her electoral debut, and won with a margin of over 500,000 votes. Sathyan Mokeri of the Communist Party of India came in second, while Navya Haridas placed third, securing just over 100,000 votes. Allegations against Priyanka Gandhi In her petition, Haridas alleged that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra failed to disclose multiple immovable properties owned by her and her husband Robert Vadra, in addition to investments and movable assets held in Vadra's name. These omissions, the petition argues, amount to a 'suppression of material facts' and violate mandatory disclosure norms under the Representation of the People Act, 1951. Haridas also claimed that these alleged non-disclosures misled voters and constituted corrupt practices under Section 123 of the Act. Further, she accused Gandhi of exerting undue influence on voters during the campaign and argued that these actions should render the election null and void. The summons adds legal uncertainty to Priyanka Gandhi's high-profile political entry, even as the Congress party prepares to defend its case in court.
&w=3840&q=100)

Business Standard
39 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Pakistan raises defence expenditure by 20% to $9 billion in annual budget
Pakistan on Tuesday raised its defence expenditure by 20 per cent to $9 billion in the annual federal Budget for 2025-26 (FY26) over the preceding year, but slashed overall federal expenditure by a hefty 7 per cent for the July-June financial year. This is likely to invite close scrutiny from New Delhi that has accused Pakistan of diverting financial support from multilateral agencies towards unproductive defence spending targeted at India. New Delhi last week vehemently opposed Asian Development Bank's (ADB's) financial assistance of $800 million to Pakistan, raising concerns about potential misuse of the funds. Last month, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) also approved a $1 billion loan to Pakistan despite India's strong objection. Indian officials cautioned the ADB on Pakistan's increasing defence expenditure, its declining tax-to-GDP ratio, and the lack of demonstrable progress on key macroeconomic reforms. 'This points to the possibility of diversion of funds made available to the country by external agencies, including financial institutions, especially those that are made available by fungible debt financing, through instruments such as policy-based loans, for increased defence spending,' India stressed. Tensions between India and Pakistan flared up following the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22, in which 26 civilians were killed. It culminated in the launch of 'Operation Sindoor'. India has decided to submit a dossier at the upcoming Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meeting, calling for Pakistan to be placed back on the grey list of the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog. New Delhi is likely to highlight multiple commissions and omissions by Pakistan, such as restitution of money, failure to pass anti-terror laws, hosting terrorists, and buying military equipment with development funding. The FATF grey list flags countries with 'strategic deficiencies' in countering money laundering and terror financing. Re-entry into the list could have far-reaching consequences for Pakistan, including diminished foreign investment, increased borrowing costs, and tighter scrutiny from global financial institutions. Pakistan was removed from the grey list in 2022 after the FATF acknowledged its progress in strengthening its anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-financing terrorism (CFT) frameworks. According to sources, Pakistan allocates around 18 per cent of its general Budget to 'defence affairs and services', significantly higher than the average 10-14 per cent observed even in conflict-affected countries. Moreover, between 1980 and 2023, Pakistan's arms imports reportedly rose by more than 20 per cent during periods it received IMF disbursements compared to the years when it did not.


Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Govt sets target of ₹3 lakh crore defence production by 2029: Rajnath
Dehradun, The government has set a target of ₹3 lakh crore defence production by 2029, while it anticipates that the country's exports in the sector would reach ₹50,000 crore by that time, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday. Addressing an event here, he also highlighted the growing use of information warfare in the 21st century, and urged people to become "social soldiers" by identifying lies, stopping rumours, and spreading awareness in the society. "While data and information are the biggest power, it is also the biggest challenge. During Operation Sindoor, Pakistan conspired to break the morale of our soldiers and citizens through fake videos, manipulated news and posts," Singh said. "Even though military actions have been stopped, information warfare is still going on. If people share false news without thinking, they unknowingly become a weapon of the enemy," he said. The government is working on cyber security at its level, but every citizen needs to be a "first responder", the defence minister said. He also said today, India is not only protecting its borders, but also creating a system which is "making us strategically, economically and technically strong". "Earlier, we were completely dependent on foreign defence equipment, but today India is rapidly becoming 'atmanirbhar' in defence sector," he said. Highlighting the strategy adopted by the government to deal with terrorism and strengthen national security, Singh said the defence sector has emerged as one of the strongest pillars of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat', and "the weapons and platforms used during Operation Sindoor were made in India". He underlined that the government's persistent efforts are bearing fruit as the annual defence production, which was around ₹40,000 crore in 2014, has crossed the record figure of ₹1.30 lakh crore today, and defence exports have skyrocketed to ₹23,622 crore in the financial year 2024-25. Made-in-India defence products are being exported to nearly 100 countries, he added. "We have set a target of ₹1.75 lakh crore defence production this year and ₹3 lakh crore by 2029. Our defence exports should reach ₹30,000 crore this year and ₹50,000 crore by 2029," Singh said. In his address, he also listed the steps taken by the government to strengthen the defence sector, including increasing the defence budget from ₹2.53 lakh crore in FY 2013-14 to ₹6.22 lakh crore in FY 2024-25; reserving 75 per cent of the budget for capital procurement from domestic companies and the issuance of a total of 10 Positive Indigenisation Lists, comprising over 5,500 items. "Today, Indian armed forces use state-of-the-art weapons, missiles, tanks and other systems, and platforms manufactured within the country. Our indigenous missiles such as Agni, Prithvi and BrahMos stand ready to give a befitting reply to the enemy. We also have the strength to build aircraft carriers such as INS Vikrant," he added. Singh also exhorted media that in today's times, "being most correct" must be accorded priority than "being ahead". "Instead of being 'verified', being 'viral' has become the standard of journalism. There is a need to avoid this," he cautioned. Singh termed the media as a watchdog, when the issue of national security is not only concerned with borders, but is now a challenge in cyber and social sectors. "Journalism is not just a profession but a national duty. It informs while keeping us alert and vigilant towards the security of the country. A free and healthy journalism is a stabilising force that makes the society alert, unites it and spreads consciousness," he said. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, among the dignitaries, also attended the event.