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Supreme Court repeals controversial migrants law: illegal immigrants now face deportation
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's highest court made it easier to deport illegal Bangladeshi migrants from the northeastern border state of Assam on Tuesday by repealing a controversial immigration law.The Supreme Court repealed an Assam-specific legislation saying it was unconstitutional for a state to have laws different to those in the rest of the country. Previously in Assam, the burden of proving that someone was an illegal immigrant lay with the accuser. Now that burden of proof has been shifted to the accused, who will need to either prove their nationality or face deportation, bringing Assam into line with the rest of India. Many Assamese say the change is necessary to stop poor, mostly Muslim immigrants from Bangladesh from illegally entering the oil- and tea-rich state in search of jobs. "The Supreme Court judgement is a victory for the indigenous people of Assam and justice has been done to the people," said Sammujal Bhattacharjee, leader of the powerful All Assam Students Union, which campaigned for the change. But the state's Muslim minority fears such a law will be used to harass them in a hunt for illegal immigrants. New Delhi says millions of Bangladeshis have settled illegally in India, a large proportion of them in Assam. Posted by: john 2006-12-05 |
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