SC directs Assam govt to notify ‘ways and means’ to release foreigners kept in detention

New Delhi, Apr 09: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Assam government to inform the court about the "ways and means" of releasing foreigners kept in detention centers for prolonged periods of time.

The apex court bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, comprising of Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Sanjiv Khanna, directed the Assam Chief Secretary to conduct a meeting of all stakeholders and come up with an affidavit with details on releasing over 900 illegal foreigners in several detention centers.

The bench took note of the state government's plea that its observations can affect the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and deferred the hearing to April 25. Lok Sabha elections in Assam will be held on April 23.

Earlier the court had asked the central government to apprise it on several issues including as to how many functional detention centers are there in the state.