Agartala, July 10: A Division Bench of the Tripura High Court comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice Biswajit Palit on Thursday disposed of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) concerning the influx of illegal immigrants from neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh and Myanmar.
The PIL was jointly filed by Dr. Bijay Debbarma, convenor of the Joint Action Committee, and John Debbarma, a student activist from the Twipra Students Federation (TSF). Representing the petitioners, senior advocate Manish Goswami said the plea sought court directives for the establishment of infrastructure necessary to implement the Ministry of Home Affairs’ May 2025 notification on handling illegal immigration.
The MHA’s notification outlined a four-stage approach: detection, adjudication, detention, and deportation. While Assam has already established mechanisms such as Foreigners Tribunals and detention centers, similar infrastructure is yet to be seen in Tripura, the petitioners argued.
On June 24, the petitioners submitted a formal representation to the state government, seeking clarity on how it planned to act on the Centre’s directives. “The objective of the PIL was to secure a court order directing the state to create the necessary framework to identify and deport illegal immigrants,” said advocate Goswami.
However, the High Court chose not to issue any immediate directions, stating that the petition was filed prematurely. “The Court advised us to wait and observe the steps taken by the state government. If no progress is made within the next two to three months, we are free to approach the court again,” Goswami added.
He also noted that the Advocate General acknowledged the seriousness of the issue and agreed it represents a significant public interest matter.
