Chinese tech giant Huawei said on Monday it had developed a new way of making semiconductors that could get around its U.S.-enforced lack of access to the most advanced chipmaking equipment. Huawei has in recent years been at the centre of a geopolitical standoff after Washington warned its
World Tarot Day 2026: The most misunderstood tarot cards and what they actually meanPeople tarot as entertainment or fear it because of the dramatic social media readings. But tarot was never meant to work through fear; it is a symbolic tool. Updated on: May 25
From mirrors to mood lighting, these 5 budget-friendly decor tricks can make small homes look surprisingly luxuriousWant to upgrade your home into a luxurious space? Here are some budget-friendly decor ideas you can consider for a beautiful home. Published on: May 25
A Bahraini court sentenced nine defendants to life in prison and two others to three years in jail for collaborating with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to carry out what it described as “hostile and terrorist acts” against Bahrain
Tarot vs Astrology: Which one can predict your future better? An expert breaks it downAstrology explains cosmic timing and patterns. Tarot explains your emotional experience of those patterns. One gives you the map, the other acts like a mirror. Updated on: May 25
Five declared foreigners ordered to leave Assam within 24 hours under 1950 expulsion law
The administration in Assam's Sonitpur district ordered five declared foreigners to leave the state within 24 hours on Wednesday.
The five residents of the Dhobokata village – Hanufa, Mariyam Nessa, Fatema, Monowara and Amjad Ali – were issued the order under the 1950 Immigrants Expulsion from Assam Act.
The Act grants power to district commissioners and senior superintendents of police to expel “illegal migrants” from the state by bypassing the foreigners tribunals.
In notices issued on Tuesday, Sonitpur District Commissioner Ananda Kumar Das told the five persons that “being a declared foreigner, your presence in India/Assam is detrimental to the interest of the general public and also for the internal security of the state”.
Sonitpur foreigners tribunal had on October 24 declared the five persons as foreign citizens in separate cases filed by the Tezpur superintendent of police (border) in 2006.
Das directed them to leave the state through the Dhubri, Sribhumi or South Salmara-Mankachar routes.
The notices also directed the authorities to delete the names of the five persons from the electoral rolls, cancel their ration cards, freeze or cancel their Aadhaar cards and remove them from all government schemes.
The district commissioner warned that if the five persons failed to comply, the authorities would take action to remove them from Assam under the 1950 Act.
In September, the Assam Cabinet approved the framing of a standard operating procedure under the Act. Earlier, cases pertaining to undocumented migrants were handled by foreigners tribunals.
Sarma had said that the standard operating procedure to use the 1950 Act had been approved, which would, to a large extent, “nullify” the role of the foreigners tribunals.
Foreigners tribunals in Assam are quasi-judicial bodies that adjudicate on matters of citizenship. However, the tribunals have been accused of arbitrariness and bias, and of declaring people foreigners on the basis of minor spelling mistakes, a lack of documents or lapses in memory.
As per the standard operating procedure, if a district commissioner receives information from the police or other sources that a person is suspected to be an “illegal immigrant”, the official will direct the person to produce evidence of his citizenship within 10 days, Sarma had at the time.
If the district commissioner finds that the evidence submitted is not satisfactory, he can pass an expulsion order by invoking the 1950 Act, ordering the removal of the undocumented immigrant from Assam “by giving 24 hours' time and by the route so specified”.
In June, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma informed the Assembly that the state government was planning to invoke the 1950 law to “push back” more suspected foreigners.
Sarma had claimed that the expulsion of declared foreigners was justified in the legal framework provided by the Immigrants Expulsion from Assam Act.
The chief minister had said that the Supreme Court in October 2024 upheld Section 6A of the 1955 Citizenship Act, which gave “sweeping powers to the Assam government” to act under the 1950 law and that a deputy commissioner has the power to evict any person if there is prima facie evidence of their being an “illegal foreigner”.
Section 6A was introduced as a special provision when the Assam Accord was signed between the Union government and leaders of the Assam Movement in 1985. It allows foreigners who came to Assam between January 1, 1966, and March 25, 1971, to seek Indian citizenship.
Indigenous groups in Assam have alleged that this provision in the Act has legalised infiltration by migrants from Bangladesh.
Partition and subsequent communal riots had led to a movement of refugees and other migrants into Assam from East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. According to a 2012 white paper by the Assam government, around five lakh migrants and refugees entered the state in the initial years.
As discontent grew about the migration, the Union government had brought in the 1950 Immigrants Expulsion from Assam Act to tackle the presence of alleged foreigners in the state.
The law empowered the government to expel “a person or a class of persons” who were “ordinarily resident outside India and have come into Assam, if it believes that their stay “is detrimental to the interests of the general public of India”.
However, the law gave relief to refugees fleeing Pakistan on account of “civil disturbances or fear of such disturbances”, given the context of Partition.
Between 1962 and 1964, the police began a crackdown on alleged foreigners.
The drive soon stirred up a storm. “The process of detection and deportation was so atrocious that … Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, an Asamiya Muslim, who was then finance minister of Assam, and later became Union minister and president of India, had to take up the issue of atrocities and inhuman torture meted out to the innocent Indian Muslim citizens,” wrote political scientist Monirul Hussian in his book Assam Movement: Class, Ideology and Identity.
Ahmed threatened to resign over the harassment of those wrongly accused of being foreigners.
According to the Assam government's white paper on the foreigners' matter, Pakistan also threatened to drag the issue of deportation to the United Nations.
Eventually, it was “decided by the central government that before eviction every individual case should be examined by judicial authority...to stand the test of scrutiny before the international forum”, the white paper said.
In effect, the contentious implementation of the 1950 legislation opened the doors to Assam's most important citizenship determination mechanism – the foreigners tribunals. Four such tribunals were set up by a statutory order on September 23, 1964, and more were to follow.
Legal experts have argued that the Sarma government, by invoking the 1950 law, was dragging the state back to the days of arbitrary expulsions, without even the “fig leaf” of due process provided by the foreigners tribunals.
Also read: Why experts contest Assam CM's use of 1950 law to justify forcing out people into Bangladesh
Source: Scroll
Related Posts: Nabrangpur district declared Maoist-free Five Killed As House In Ayodhya District Collapses Due To Blast Three-Day State Mourning Declared In Assam Following Zubeen Garg’s Death EC should have ordered probe instead of using offensive language against Rahul Gandhi IIM-Ahmedabad students ordered over 60 No repoll ordered in Tamil Nadu Apple ordered to pay French operators €39 million over iPhone sales Sambhal judge who ordered FIR against police officials for 2024 violence transferred Bangladesh ex-PM Hasina ordered 2009 killings Chhattisgarh ordered to pay Rs 25
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has postponed the Common University Entrance Test Undergraduate (CUET-UG) 2026 examinations scheduled for May 28 in both shifts following a change in the Bakrid holiday date. The agency said revised examination dates for the affected candidates will be announced
2 hours ago
President Nikos Christodoulides present, Cyprus positions itself as Europe gateway for HT Labs, other Indian AI firmsRepresenting HT Labs, the innovation and technology arm of HT Media Group, Avinash Mudaliar, Co-Founder and CEO, participated in discussions. Updated on: May 25
2 hours ago
The Delhi Gymkhana Club has moved the High Court against the Union government’s order directing it to hand over its 27.3-acre premises by June 5, Live Law reported on Monday. The matter was mentioned before Justice Avneesh Jhingan on Monday by advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi
2 hours ago
Strains of the old "Glory, Glory" anthem echoed inside the giant stadium as Tottenham Hotspur stepped back from the precipice of the most humiliating relegation in Premier League history. Spurs players and supporters were in unison at last as they could finally look forward to next season as a
2 hours ago
Australian cricketer Megan Schutt will conclude her international career after the 2026 T20 World Cup. The seasoned bowler aims for a strong finish in her final major ICC campaign. Schutt, a veteran of many successful tournaments, wants to pass the baton to the next generation of players
2 hours ago
The Japanese fruit ‘sando’ is becoming India’s favourite summer dessert; take a look With fluffy milk bread, clouds of whipped cream, and jewel-like slices of fresh fruit tucked inside, the Japanese sando has become India’s go-to dessert Updated on: May 25
2 hours ago
Madhuri Dixit serves ‘a little bit of drama’ as she gives classic white saree a modern twist with chic jacketMadhuri Dixit proves age is just a number as she stuns in ivory saree with floral prints, layered with a sleek jacket, blending elegance with modern drama. Published on: May 25
2 hours ago
Stolen Baby: The Murder of Heidi Broussard: Where is slain mom's family now? What to know as crime drama streamsThe release of Stolen Baby: The Murder of Heidi Broussard on Netflix has brought the 2019 murder case in focus again. Know where the slain mom's family is. May 25, 2026
2 hours ago
Crude oil prices plunge after US and Iran have shared significant signals on the progress in talks to end the war, however both sides are still at loggerheads on certain issues. Global oil prices have plunged over 5.5% after US and Iran have indicated that there is significant progress in their
2 hours ago
Editorial independence is core to our work. Some links may earn us a commission, without influencing our opinions.From office work to AI tasks: The best Asus ExpertBook P3 and Snapdragon PCs to consider in 2026AI laptops are everywhere in 2026, but only a few actually improve daily work
2 hours ago
LeBron James has spent more than two decades rewriting NBA history. On Sunday, though, one of his most remarkable streaks finally came to an end. For the first time since his rookie season in 2003-04, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar was not named to an All-NBA team
2 hours ago
Priyadarshan on Paresh Rawal's exit from Hera Pheri 3: ‘Not aware’Hera Pheri 3 faces turbulence as Paresh Rawal reportedly leaves the film, returning his signing fee. May 25, 2026, 13:38:45 IST Written by Vibha Maru Share via Copy link The controversy around Hera Pheri 3 doesn’t seem to end
2 hours ago
BJD Rajya Sabha MP Debashish Samantaray has resigned from the party. He cited systematic belittlement as the reason for his departure. This follows similar exits by other Rajya Sabha MPs. Samantaray expressed gratitude to party chief Naveen Patnaik for past opportunities
2 hours ago
Prashant Kishor to finally contest an election himself? Jan Suraaj Party targets Bankipur, via an ashramKishor is bullish on Bankipur, and claimed that only the Jan Suraaj Party can defeat the BJP there. "We just need to field a strong candidate," he said. Updated on: May 25
2 hours ago
It’s been almost five months since Ranveer Singh’s exit from Don 3 sparked controversy. Now, as the dispute between Farhan Akhtar and the actor continues, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) has finally intervened, announcing that its decision on the matter will be revealed
2 hours ago
Even George Russell’s biggest critics would probably admit one thing right now: the Briton’s luck this season has been brutal. And standing beside his stricken Mercedes in Montreal on Sunday night, Russell looked completely drained by it all. After opening the season with victory in Shanghai
2 hours ago
Turn a classic, creamy tiramisu into a refreshing summer treat by swapping coffee for juicy mango and layering it with fresh fruit and light mascarpone cream. This mango‑infused version keeps the dessert’s rich, custard‑like texture but adds a bright
2 hours ago
As Cannes Film Festival closes, which are the acclaimed films from this year's crop that could be heading for Academy Award nominations? If you want to know which films are going to be nominated for Oscars, it's worth looking at what premiered at the Cannes Film Festival the previous May
2 hours ago
Delhi Capitals' IPL journey concluded with a sixth-place finish. Coach Hemang Badani cited inconsistent play and missed opportunities as reasons for the team's failure to reach the playoffs. Crucial losses, dropped catches, and batting collapses hampered their campaign
2 hours ago
3 elephant calves die within 17 days in Chhattisgarh’s DharamjaigarhEight elephant calves have died in Dharamjaigarh forest division over the past five months due to drowning, getting trapped in marshland, etc Published on: May 25, 2026 1:27 PM IST By Ritesh Mishra Share via Copy link Three
2 hours ago
The Canadian Grand Prix was the race in which the Formula 1 title battle finally came alive this year. It was also, however, the race in which it took a potentially decisive turn, putting a huge dent in George Russell's hopes of beating his 19-year-old Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli to the
2 hours ago
CBSE Class 12 answer sheet scanned copies application window ends today, direct link hereCBSE Class 12 answer sheet scanned copies application window will close today, May 25, 2026. The direct link to apply is given here. Published on: May 25
2 hours ago
Microsoft techie couple in Noida breaks down ₹1.6 lakh monthly expenses, says city feels balanced despite rising costsA Microsoft couple in Noida revealed they spent around ₹1.6 lakh monthly while balancing work, lifestyle and family needs. Published on: May 25
2 hours ago
A CBSE Class 12 student has raised serious concerns over the board’s re-evaluation process after claiming the Physics answer sheet uploaded under his roll number does not belong to him. The student shared comparisons of multiple answer sheets and demanded an urgent investigation into the alleged
2 hours ago
Thyroid disorder cases have been gradually rising over the past few years, especially in younger adults and the younger working generations. Even though genes and autoimmune disorders play a role, the way we live our lives is becoming a reason for thyroid problems. We speak to Dr Aravind Badiger
2 hours ago
Sandhu finishes T-63, Sterne wins after gap of 13 yearsSandhu finishes T-63, Sterne wins after gap of 13 years Published on: May 25, 2026 1:47 PM IST PTI Share via Copy link Rinkven , Indian golfer Yuvraj Sandhu endured a difficult final day to finish T-63 at the Soudal Open here
2 hours ago
Cardiologist reveals the real cause of heart attacks that most people overlook and it’s not just ‘bad cholesterol’Could your gut health be affecting your heart? A cardiologist explains how inflammation, poor sleep, stress, and unhealthy habits may raise heart attack risk. Published on: May 25
5 hours ago
