This ruling by the court could affect approximately 5,000 individuals who defaulted on FRRO registration, and the deportation could further spiral on to affect nearly 25,000 people, including family members
GUWAHATI: The Gauhati High Court on Thursday, January 9, rejected an appeal from one Begum Zan for registering with the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) under Section 6A(3) of the Citizenship Act, 1955. Citing that this was not done within the stipulated timeframe, the court’s decision stands to impact nearly 25,000 individuals in Assam, including family members.
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Zan, a resident of Barpeta, failed to register for four years after being declared a foreigner by the Barpeta Foreigners’ Tribunal on June 29, 2020. The bench comprising Justices Kalyan Rai Surana and Susmita Phukan Khaund, ruled that it could not extend the registration timeline for the petitioner due to the binding precedent set by the Supreme Court earlier in October 2024.
The Constitution Bench had observed that migrants arriving between January 1, 1966, and March 25, 1971, were no longer eligible for citizenship if they failed to register within the designated timeframe. However, Zan’s counsel, A.S. Tapadar, argued that Justice Pardiwala’s opinion was a minority view and not binding.
Despite Tapadar’s stance, the Gauhati High Court referred to the absence of evidence demonstrating a conflict between the majority and minority opinions in the Constitution Bench ruling. This keeps the directives mentioned in paragraph 218(d) of the judgement binding.
This ruling by the court could affect approximately 5,000 individuals who defaulted on FRRO registration, and the deportation could further spiral on to impact nearly 25,000 people, including family members. The individuals may face detention in transit camps before they get deported to Bangladesh.
