Guwahati: Big and historic decision taken by Assam government on deportation of illegal immigrants residing in Assam. Any suspicious citizen residing in Assam who has entered the state post 1971 has to prove his citizenship within 10 days or he will be deported directly by the state government. The Assam cabinet on September 9, 2025 approved the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to executive Immigrants Expulsion from Assam Act, 1950 in the state. Now onwards the District Commissioner (DC) will send notice to all suspected foreigners to prove his citizenship within 10 days and if he or she couldn’t place the document on the 11th day his deportation order will be placed by the concerned DC.
The person will be immediately sent to the detention centre and will be pushed back to his/her country of origin. Addressing a pressmeet CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “ after approval of the SoP by the cabinet the decision of a foreigner will be concluded in 10 days. Now there is no need to wait months and years for the foreigners’ tribunal decisions on a particular person whether he/she is a foreigner or not? No DCs will take a decision within 10 days.” CM Sarma further said that the cabinet decision is based on the order of the constitutional bench of the Supreme Court.
Assam Cabinet Meeting | 9 September, 2025
Framing of an SOP under the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950. HCM Dr. @himantabiswa explained it's key provisions during the press conference pic.twitter.com/uWiJWBeMcI
— Chief Minister Assam (@CMOfficeAssam) September 9, 2025
The SoP now allows to bypass the foreigners tribunals for deportation of illegal immigrants under the provision of Immigrants Expulsion from Assam Act, 1950. “The illegal immigrants deportation process will be now on fast track. If security forces identify an illegal foreigner, DCs will be able to declare him/her as a foreigner or not within just 10 days. After the decision of the concerned DC, the government doesn’t need to communicate with any embassy, he or she will be directly deported from the state”, CM Sarma said. He also said that foreigners tribunals have so far declared 1 lakh 68 thousand people as illegal immigrants. These people will be immediately deported from Assam except from those whose cases are pending in high court or supreme court or if someone has stay-order from court.
It should be mentioned that while upholding Clause 6A of the Citizenship Amendment Act, the constitutional bench of the Supreme Court mentioned that the government of Assam is free to use the Immigrants Expulsion from Assam Act, 1950 to detect and deport foreigners. Under this act the District Commissioner is empowered by the Central government to evacuate any person who is in the view of a DC is an illegal immigrant. Only if the District Commissioner is confused about a particular person whether he/she is a foreigner or not, then only the case will be referred to the tribunal.
CM Sarma further said that any person who has entered Assam post 1971 can be now produced before the District Commissioner. CM Sarma clarified that NRC has no relation with this act and Supreme Court has also said it clearly that if anyone is proved as foreigner despite having his name in NRC he or she will be deported. So far 30126 foreigners have push backed from Assam and after today’s SoP the number will be increasing fast. Most importantly if any person is declared as a foreigner and his expulsion order is passed by the District Commissioner his/her name will be immediately deleted from the voter list and his property will be seized by the government.
