HC Flags Flaws In Foreigners Tribunal Files; Calls For Staff Training In Assam
HC Flags Flaws In Foreigners Tribunal Files; Calls For Staff Training In Assam
Digital Desk: The Gauhati High Court has raised serious concerns about poor record-keeping in Assam's Foreigners Tribunals, calling it a major flaw that could affect justice delivery.
The observation was made at a writ petition hearing for Gobinda Saha, who had previously been deemed an "illegal foreigner" by a Nagaon district tribunal. After reviewing the case files, a division bench consisting of Justices Kalyan Rai Surana and Malsri Nandi subsequently overruled the FT's judgement.
The court uncovered a number of exhibits with incorrect labels and overlaps while examining the tribunal's documentation. The petitioner had likely not received sufficient assistance from his lawyer either, the court stated, adding that "all the exhibited documents, with overlapping as indicated hereinbefore, are not found to have been referred to and discussed by the learned Tribunal."
The judges were startled by the disorganized prestige of the records, which reportedly took over two hours to decode with the assistance of private secretaries. The court advised the government to consider formal training programs for FT members and superintendents on correct documentation procedures. It further ordered that a copy of the order be handed out to all foreign tribunals around the state.
Assam is the only state in the country with a network of foreign tribunals, which are quasi-judicial bodies that determine the citizenship status of individuals suspected of being undocumented migrants.
