Published 16:15 IST, December 17th 2019
Supreme Court refuses to interfere in petition on facilities at 6 Assam detention centres
The SC refused to interfere in a petition seeking humane facilities at 6 detention centres in Assam for those who do not qualify as Indian citizens as per NRC.
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The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to interfere in a petition seeking humane facilities at six detention centres in Assam for those who do not qualify as Indian citizens as per the National Register of Citizens (NRC). A bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan, while refusing to interfere in the petition filed by Nipun Malhotra, said there is no illustration or example in the petition.
Malhotra withdrew his petition after the bench said that it is 'bereft of any merit'. The bench said that the petition filed by Malhotra had no illustration of any lack of facilities in the detention centres. "Categorical question was asked with respect to any paragraph whatsoever in the petition to show any such problem. Counsel failed to show so," it observed.
The apex court bench asked the petitioner, why he had not approached the High Court. When the council said he is a young lawyer, the bench said that he was only heard 'this much' because he was young 'else the matter had nothing'.
28 people died in detention camps
Earlier 28 people died of various illnesses so far at detention camps in Assam detention camps out of which three belonged to Bangladesh, the state Assembly was informed on November 30. The state government also said it has sent a proposal to the Centre to set up more detention centers in addition to the existing six, while construction for another is going on in Goalpara district.
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said in Rajya Sabha that there were no deaths of inmates in detention centres due to fear or lack of medicines and all deaths were caused by some diseases. On behalf of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who holds the Home portfolio, Patowary said a total of 988 people are now lodged in the six detention camps, of which 957 were declared as foreigners and 31 are their children. Currently, 317 inmates are in Tezpur centre, 222 in Goalpara, 195 in Jorhat, 142 in Kokrajhar, 72 in Silchar and 40 in Dibrugarh, the parliamentary affairs minister said.
(with agencies input)
15:03 IST, December 17th 2019