Shillong: The Meghalaya High Court is tracking the state government's progress on deporting foreign nationals who finished their prison terms. Twenty people, consisting of 19 men and one woman, remain inside the local holding center. The court expects faster results. Officials deported six Bangladeshi nationals on September 30 and followed up with six more, plus one child, on October 12.
Senior Government Advocate A.S. Dey told the bench that Md. Robin, also known as Md. Rakib Islam, faces deportation within a week. He has overstayed his visa by more than two years, 10 months and four days. The paperwork is ready. Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice Wanlura Diengdoh heard that a 14-year-old boy currently in a boys' home will soon head to the Dawki-Tamabil Integrated Check Post. The state intends to reunite him with his mother there.
The Bangladesh Assistant High Commissioner in Guwahati already issued a travel permit for the teen. Officials currently wait on an exit permit from the Foreigners Regional Registration Office in Kolkata. Nidhi Rani, IPS, told the court via video link that she would process the permit quickly. Progress remains uneven elsewhere. Some detainees refuse to share bank account details, while others simply cannot.
Dey proposed creating Standard Operating Procedures to speed up future removals. He promised to begin deportation paperwork before convicts finish their sentences. "The state government would take steps to initiate deportation procedures before the completion of prison sentences and sought time for the formulation of the SOPs," Dey stated. Regular meetings with stakeholders should ensure that documents move through the system without delay.
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