By Maktoob
A foreign national cannot be deported unless their home country verifies their nationality and agrees to accept them, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) told the Supreme Court in an affidavit filed on Saturday.
The affidavit was filed in response to a plea challenging the indefinite detention of persons declared foreigners in Assam despite there being no immediate prospect of their deportation.
“A foreign national whose nationality is unknown/unverified can be deported to their home country only upon confirmation of their nationality, possession of a valid travel document, and acceptance by the home country concerned. The deportation procedure cannot be initiated without nationality verification,” read the affidavit.
The Ministry further stated that deportation can be carried out by the concerned state government, Union Territory administration, or the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) only after the completion of any sentence or court proceedings, provided the individual possesses a valid passport or travel document and is not facing any other criminal case.
“It is necessary to obtain the requisite travel document from the Embassy/High Commission of the country concerned through the process of nationality verification before he/she can be deported,” the MHA said.
The MHA’s submission comes amid growing scrutiny over the Union government’s “pushback” drive targeting alleged undocumented Bangladeshi migrants.
Notably, in June, Bangladesh accused India of attempting to push people across the border in at least 10 incidents within a 24-hour period, alleging that Indian authorities were forcibly sending Bengali-speaking Muslims into Bangladesh without due process.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.
