The Tripura High Court on Thursday disposed of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed over alleged inaction by the state government on the issue of illegal immigration, while granting the petitioners the liberty to revive the plea if no action is taken within a reasonable timeframe.
The PIL was jointly filed by Dr Bijoy Debbarma, convener of a civil rights organisation, and John Debbarma, a student activist affiliated with the Twipra Students’ Federation (TSF). They had approached the court after receiving no response from the state government to their June 24 representation seeking clarity on measures being taken in line with a recent Centre-issued directive on tackling illegal immigration.
In May, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had issued a notification directing all states to take a four-stage approach to deal with illegal immigrants: identification, adjudication, detention, and deportation.
During the hearing, the division bench led by Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh observed that the petitioners should wait further for the state government’s response before seeking judicial intervention. Deputy Solicitor General Bidyot Majumder confirmed the bench’s decision and added that the court had not foreclosed the option of future legal action.
“The petition has been disposed of for now, but the petitioners are at liberty to approach the court again if the government remains unresponsive,” Majumder told reporters.
The issue of illegal immigration has also been raised politically in the state. Tipra Motha MLA Ranjit Debbarma recently wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, urging the Centre’s intervention to identify and deport illegal immigrants from neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh and Myanmar.
The court’s decision effectively places the matter in the state government’s court, with legal proceedings hinging on its next move.
