After Gurgaon detentions, Punjab and Haryana HC seeks SOP for identifying illegal migrants
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by a lawyer sought directions for framing a uniform procedure for identifying illegal migrants. The petitioner told the bench that the police in Gurgaon had rounded up people from minority linguistic groups, branding them as illegal foreign nationals, despite their possessing Aadhaar, voter ID, ration cards and documents proving parentage.
'They were detained in community centres, sometimes in groups of two to three hundred, with no access to family members or lawyers,' the counsel submitted, adding that even when local police and gram panchayats from West Bengal certified that the detainees were Indian citizens, they were not released for days.
The petitioner argued that while both Punjab and Haryana must already have a verification procedure in place, it was either absent or being 'flagrantly violated'. He relied on documents citing a May 2, 2025, communication of the Ministry of Home Affairs' (MHA) Foreigners Branch, which reportedly authorised states to detain and deport Bangladeshi and Rohingya nationals. However, he pointed out that the SOP referred to in those instructions was not traceable on the MHA website.
The counsel for Haryana defended the detentions, saying the state police had acted in accordance with directions issued by the Union government. 'Special search operations were launched in Gurugram to find illegal residents. Those found without valid proof of nationality were kept in holding centres as per MHA instructions,' the state submitted.
At this, the bench asked the government counsel to either produce the SOP on record or categorically state through an affidavit that no such SOP was available. 'Unless you produce it before us, we will not be able to assess the validity of the procedure,' the court observed.
The court directed Haryana to file an affidavit clarifying whether the SOP exists on the MHA website and, if so, to place it on record. The matter was then adjourned.
The police over the last few weeks allegedly rounded up several migrant workers as part of the drive aimed at identifying illegal immigrants in Gurgaon, and it sparked panic among the Bengali-speaking migrant community, prompting many to leave the city.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
First Post
3 minutes ago
- First Post
Munir Calls India "Shiny Mercedes", Pakistan a "Dump Truck"
Munir Calls India "Shiny Mercedes", Pakistan a "Dump Truck" | Vantage with Palki Sharma Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir compared India to a "shining Mercedes", while calling his country a "dump truck loaded with gravel". The weird, but truthful, analogy has triggered a roast session for Munir on Indian social media. Palki Sharma brings you Joke of the Day. See More
India Today
3 minutes ago
- India Today
India-Russia ties steadiest since World War II, says Jaishankar in Moscow
In a joint press briefing in Moscow, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India and Russia have been 'the steadiest of the major relationships in the world after the Second World War.' Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov echoed that sentiment, describing the ties as a 'special strategic partnership' shaped by the two countries' Jaishankar, who arrived in Moscow after a round of trade and economic talks with Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, said his meeting with Lavrov was an opportunity to review both the political relationship and bilateral cooperation. 'I look forward to an exchange of views on politics, on trade, on economics, investment, defence, science and technology, and of course people-to-people exchanges,' he spoke about recent high-level engagements, including the 22nd Annual Summit last year and subsequent leadership meetings in Kazan. 'They have always given us guidance to take forward our Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership,' Jaishankar said, adding that preparations were now underway for the next summit at the end of this also pointed to an active bilateral calendar, mentioning visits by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, and NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Suman Bery. 'All these showed how deep our relationship is,' Jaishankar at the global context, Jaishankar underlined the need to adapt to 'the evolving geopolitical situation, the shifting economic and trade landscape, and our shared goal to maximise our complementarity.'Lavrov, welcoming Jaishankar, said he was glad to host him in Moscow after a busy schedule of meetings. He emphasised, 'We define our relations as a special strategic partnership, and this was defined by our leaders, and I hope that we fully justify these links.'The Russian minister framed ties against the backdrop of a changing global order. 'This is a multipolar system of international relations with an increasing role played by the SCO, BRICS and the G20. And, of course, the United Nations, which remains a platform for cooperation, compromise and seeking agreement,' he added that Moscow supported 'balanced approaches' and hoped the talks with Jaishankar would be meeting between the two leaders comes against the backdrop of heightened trade tensions with the United States under President Donald Trump's tariff offensive. Washington has doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent and imposed fresh duties on crude oil purchases from Russia, sparking concerns in New Delhi over economic fallout and the threat of secondary this context, Jaishankar stressed the importance of expanding and diversifying cooperation with Moscow. 'Doing more and doing differently should be our mantras,' he told Manturov a day earlier, urging Russian companies to engage 'more intensively' with Indian counterparts and avoid getting 'stuck on a beaten track.'- EndsMust Watch
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
3 minutes ago
- First Post
USAID didn't fund voter turnout in India: US embassy's data contradicts Trump
The data released by the US embassy has shown that no funds were granted for voter turnout-related activity in India. Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump had claimed that the USAID had spent $21 million to increase voter turnout in India. Donald Trump speaks to members of the media at Manhattan Supreme Court amid his hush money trial, in New York, US, May 7, 2024. (Photo: Curtis Means/Pool via Reuters) The US Embassy in India has contradicted President Donald Trump's claim about election-related funding in India. The data provided by the US embassy, and shared by the Union government in the parliament, shows that USAID did not provide any funds for any election-related activity in India. There was no entry of $21 million in the list of India-related grants. Earlier in February, Trump had claimed that USAID had given $21 million to increase voter turnout in Indian elections. The basis of the claim was a post on X by the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) that said it had cancelled '$21M for voter turnout in India' among a host of other grants. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD US taxpayer dollars were going to be spent on the following items, all which have been cancelled: - $10M for "Mozambique voluntary medical male circumcision" - $9.7M for UC Berkeley to develop "a cohort of Cambodian youth with enterprise driven skills" - $2.3M for "strengthening… — Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) February 15, 2025 Trump had alleged that the previous Democratic Party's administration had interfered in Indian elections. He also questioned the basis of providing funds to a foreign country's elections and used it as a talking point in his campaign to dismantle government grants, departments, and programmes, including the USAID. '$21 million going to my friend Prime Minister Modi in India for voter turnout. We are giving $21 million for voter turnout in India. What about us? I want voter turnout too," said Trump on one occasion. US embassy contradicts Trump's claim After Doge on February 16 claimed that it had revoked grants for Indian elections, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reached out to the US embassy and requested to urgently furnish details of expenditure incurred on all USAID-assisted or funded projects in India over the last 10 years other than those being implemented under the seven run in partnership with the government, the government told the parliament in response to the question of CPI-M MP John Brittas. The answer, signed by Kirti Vardhan Singh, the Minister of State for External Affairs, said that the US embassy replied with the information on July 2. In its response, the US embassy provided the list of all funds provided by the USAID, Singh told the parliament. The list —see below— did not have any election-related grants. The US embassy further said that USAID would cease operations in India on August 15, as per Singh's answer. What did Trump say about Indian elections? Based on the Doge's claim, Trump said that the previous administration were trying to get someone other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi elected with their interventions in Indian elections. On one occasion, Trump said, 'Twenty-one million dollars in voter turnout — why do we need to spend 21 million for voter turnout in India? I guess they were trying to get somebody else elected. We have got to tell the Indian Government because when we hear that Russia spent about $2,000 in our country, it was a big deal. They took some internet ads for $2,000. This is a total breakthrough.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD On another occasion, Trump also called it a 'kickback scheme'.
