Supreme Court flags lack of facilities in Assam’s detention centre

New Delhi: Flagging the “sorry state of affairs” at a detention centre for declared foreigners in Assam, the Supreme Court on Friday said it lacked adequate water supply, proper toilets and sanitation.

The apex court said it has perused a report submitted by the Assam State Legal Services Authority about the status of facilities made available at the detention centre in Assam’s Matia.

“We find that the facilities are very poor in the sense that there is no adequate water supply, there is no proper sanitation, there are no proper toilets,” a bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih said.

The bench, which was hearing a plea concerning deportation of those who have been declared as foreigners and the facilities provided at the detention centres in Assam, said the report does not speak about the availability of food and medical help.

It directed the secretary of the Assam State Legal Services Authority to ensure one more visit to ascertain the quantity and quality of the food supplied at the centre, if cleanliness is maintained in the kitchen, and existence of medical and recreational facilities. The top court asked for a fresh report to be placed before it within three weeks and posted the matter for hearing in September.

While hearing the matter on May 16, the apex court had observed that the Centre must take immediate steps for deporting 17 declared foreigners at the detention centre in Matia. It had said priority should be given to deport four who have spent

more than two years in the detention centre.