Shillong: The Meghalaya High Court ordered the state government to move all foreign nationals who finished their prison sentences to the MBoSE Hostel in Laitumkhrah. The deadline is September 28. Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice Wanlura Diengdoh issued the order during a hearing on Monday.
The government previously proposed a site in Nongstoin, but the court rejected it. A new notification from the Home Department on September 17 designated the Laitumkhrah hostel as the temporary holding center. The building features three levels, six dormitories, and 60 beds. This capacity covers the roughly 30 foreign nationals currently held after overstaying their sentences.
Staffing plans include 26 administrative members, two cooks, eight security guards, and a full platoon for gate and tower duty. The facility also includes a medical team of four and 26 CCTV cameras. The court reviewed photographs of the site and confirmed it meets detention standards. Inspector General of Prisons directed all superintendents to finalize transfers before the deadline.
Nidhi Rani from the Foreigners Regional Registration Office in Kolkata reported via video link that repatriation efforts are already moving forward. "Deportation orders have been issued in four cases and repatriation is under way," Rani stated. Officials are now processing cases for two individuals from Myanmar, two from Nigeria, and one from Bangladesh who has been in custody for over five years.
The bench ordered legal counsel to present a plan for compensating those kept in prison beyond their sentences. The court will hear the case again on September 28.
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