'Big slap on Himanta govt's face': Akhil Gogoi hails SC's verdict on Assam foreigners cases

Raijor Dal founder and Sibsagar MLA Akhil Gogoi on July 13 welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to set aside 27 Gauhati High Court judgments upholding Foreigners Tribunal orders, calling it a "big slap" on the face of the Assam government and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Reacting to the apex court's verdict, Gogoi accused the state government of attempting to bypass due legal process in matters related to citizenship and alleged that authorities were exerting pressure on tribunals to declare people as foreigners.

"The verdict of the Supreme Court is a big slap on the Chief Minister's face," Gogoi told reporters.

He alleged that the chief minister has recently been asserting that people could be detained as "doubtful citizens" without approaching a court.

"Nowadays, the Chief Minister is asserting that one does not need to approach a court to detain someone by labelling them a 'doubtful citizen'. He claims that SPs and DCs can directly detain individuals and send them to jail. This is not a legal precedent; it is an illegal one," Gogoi said.

The Raijor Dal MLA further alleged that the Assam government has been repeatedly pressuring courts and Foreigners Tribunals to declare individuals as foreigners.

"The Assam government is repeatedly pressuring our courts and tribunals to declare people as 'foreigners' at any cost, and is also pushing for a process to remove them once they are declared foreigners," he claimed.

Calling the Supreme Court's ruling a reminder to uphold due process, Gogoi said the judgment should serve as a warning to the state government.

"That is why this Supreme Court verdict serves as a warning to our government to uphold the rule of law. I welcome this Supreme Court verdict and hope that the Assam government will abide by the rule of law," he added.

The Supreme Court recently set aside a batch of 27 Gauhati High Court judgments that had upheld orders of Foreigners Tribunals declaring individuals as foreigners. 

The apex court remanded the matters back to the respective tribunals for fresh adjudication, stressing that citizenship disputes must be decided through a fair, lawful and reasonable process.