SC notice to Centre, states on PIL to deport illegal immigrants

The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Union government on a PIL for direction to the Centre and all states to detect, detain and deport all illegal immigrants, including Rohingya and Bangladeshi infiltrators, within one year.

A bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian sought a reply from the Union government on a petition filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay

On Friday, the bench, which reserved its order on a plea against the detention of Rohingyas at Jammu, also decided to examine the plea pending since 2017.

The petitioner claimed large-scale illegal immigrants, particularly from Myanmar and Bangladesh, have not only threatened the demographic structure of bordering districts but have seriously impaired the security and national integration.

He said that the Law Commission in its 175th report on September 21, 2000, on the Foreigners (Amendment) Bill, 2000 has also noted that entry of illegal immigrants and other undesirable aliens into India posing a grave threat to democracy and the security of India, especially for the eastern part of the country and Jammu and Kashmir.

"Demographic composition in the country, particularly the bordering districts has altered with illegal immigration from Myanmar and Bangladesh. The bordering districts of Assam, West Bengal Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura have recorded growth of population higher than the national average. Illegal immigrants have been using West Bengal as a corridor to migrate to other parts," the plea said.

He also asked the court to direct the central and state governments to declare the making of forged or fabricated PAN, Aadhaar cards, Passport, Ration and Voter Cards and such other documents, a non-bailable, non-compoundable.