New Delhi: The Supreme Court has granted the Assam government a two-week period to submit its responses concerning petitions filed by five women who have been declared foreigners, allegedly having entered the state illegally. This directive was issued by a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta after the legal representative for the Assam government requested additional time to file counter-affidavits in the five separate cases.
In its order dated July 16, the bench stated, "As prayed, two weeks' time is granted to the counsel for the respondent - State of Assam to file vakalatnama and counter affidavit(s) in all the cases. List after two weeks." The decision came during a hearing on Thursday, July 18, where the state's counsel reiterated the need for more time to prepare their replies.
During the proceedings, an advocate representing one of the petitioners drew the court's attention to a significant July 13 verdict by the apex court. This prior ruling had underscored the principle that the determination of citizenship status must be conducted through a fair, lawful, and reasoned process. Furthermore, another advocate informed the court that two of the women petitioners are currently held in detention, and their deportation had previously been stayed by the top court, which ordered a status quo in the matter.
The Supreme Court had initially ordered a status quo on the deportation of these individuals on June 5, indicating the ongoing judicial scrutiny of these sensitive cases. The upcoming submissions from the Assam government are expected to provide further clarity on the state's stance regarding these declarations.
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