Jharkhand High Court Criticizes Union Government Over Bangladeshi Refugee Crisis

The Jharkhand High Court reprimanded the Union government, along with the Intelligence Bureau and Border Security Force, for not submitting their affidavits in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) concerning Bangladeshi refugees illegally entering the state. The court emphasized the Centre's negligence, with a follow-up hearing scheduled for September 5.

The Jharkhand High Court on Thursday criticized the Union government along with the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Border Security Force (BSF) for their failure to submit affidavits in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) regarding the illegal immigration of Bangladeshi refugees.

A division bench, consisting of Acting Chief Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad and Justice Arun Kumar Rai, pointed out that the state was established to improve conditions for tribals. Nevertheless, the Centre appears complacent about the issue of illegal Bangladeshi infiltration despite the court's directives.

The court noted that while the IB and BSF operate round the clock on illegal immigration, they have yet to allocate time to file an affidavit in this matter. The Jharkhand state government has already submitted its affidavit, but the Union government has fallen short. The court has now mandated the Union government to file its affidavit within two weeks, with the next hearing set for September 5.

(With inputs from agencies.)