M’laya HC directs state to move foreign nationals out of jail to detention centre

Shillong, Sep 22: The Meghalaya High Court has directed the state government to move foreign nationals who have completed their prison sentences but continue to remain in jails to a temporary detention centre by September 28, officials said on Tuesday.
On Monday, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice Wanlura Diengdoh directed the state government to shift 30 such foreign nationals to the Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBOSE) hostel in Shillong’s Laitumkhrah area
According to a status report filed before the court by the Meghalaya government, around 30 foreign nationals remain in custody despite having served their full sentences
The state government had selected the MBOSE Hostel at Laitumkhrah in Shillong to serve as a temporary detention and holding centre after the bench expressed dissatisfaction with an earlier proposal to use a building at Nongstoin for the purpose.
The temporary detention and holding centre is a three-storey hostel that has approximately 60 beds spread across six dormitories and is considered adequate to accommodate the foreign nationals presently in custody.
The proposed facility will be equipped with adequate security and administrative personnel, medical staff, CCTV surveillance and fire safety arrangements, the status report said.
The court directed the authorities to shift the foreign nationals to the facility at the earliest and no later than September 28.
Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO), Kolkata, Nidhi Rani, who appeared before the court through video conferencing, said deportation orders had already been issued in four cases and efforts were underway to repatriate the individuals concerned.
Moreover, she informed the court that necessary action would be initiated in the cases of other foreign nationals who have served their sentences but remain in jail. Two inmates each from Myanmar and Nigeria and a Bangladeshi national had remained in custody for more than five years. The court also directed the state government and the FRRO to provide details regarding the mechanism for paying compensation to foreign nationals who remained in custody even after completing their sentences
The court has listed September 28 for the next hearing, with the officials concerned directed to remain present either physically or through video conferencing.