Assam CM Cites SC Ruling to Justify Immigrant Pushbacks

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday asserted that the ongoing pushback of illegal immigrants is being carried out “under a legal framework” and vowed to intensify the process in the coming days.

Speaking to reporters, CM Sarma stated, “In the coming days, we will push back even more illegal immigrants.” He emphasised that the state is empowered by an existing law—the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Order, 1950—that provides legal backing for the expulsion of foreigners without the necessity of judicial intervention in every case.

“We have decided on two things. I will discuss the matter in a press conference. When the Supreme Court had taken up the matter of Clause 6A of the Citizenship Act, it was under a constitutional bench,” the Chief Minister said.

He further elaborated on the Supreme Court’s observation regarding the state’s authority to identify and deport foreigners. “The SC has stated that this law is still in force. As per this law, the district commissioner has the authority to issue an order and permit immediate pushback. For whatever reasons, our lawyers hadn’t informed us about this and we weren’t aware of this either,” he added.

According to CM Sarma, the revelation has prompted the state government to act more decisively. “In the past few days, the entire matter has come to light. That’s why we will discuss it seriously, and the pushback process will continue.”

Highlighting that the process of identifying foreigners had slowed down due to the NRC (National Register of Citizens), Sarma said efforts are now being ramped up. “The process of identifying foreigners, which had paused due to the NRC-related matters, will now be speeded up a bit,” he said.

In a stern warning, he added, “If this time, anyone is identified as a foreigner and we don’t send them to a tribunal, we will repeatedly push them back.”

The Chief Minister revealed that several such pushbacks have already been carried out in recent days. “Preparations for this have been ongoing over the last few days. We have already carried out many such pushbacks. However, we haven’t acted in cases that are still pending in court. The remaining number is gradually increasing and it will continue to rise.”

With this renewed legal clarity, Assam is expected to accelerate its efforts to tackle illegal immigration, leveraging the powers conferred by the 1950 Immigrants Expulsion Order.

Also Read: ‘I Am an Indian’: Assam Teacher's Ordeal After Being Allegedly Deported to Bangladesh