📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Aiban-03
Crime
Meghalaya High Court orders transfer of foreign prisoners to detention centre by Sept 28
✍️ The Times of India
🗓 23 Sep 2026, 05:16 AM
👁 12
The Meghalaya High Court has directed that all foreign nationals who have finished their prison terms be moved to a designated detention centre by 28 September.
The Meghalaya High Court issued a ruling directing that every foreign national who has completed a criminal sentence be transferred to a state‑run detention centre no later than 28 September. The order follows a petition filed by the state government, which sought a uniform mechanism for handling non‑citizen inmates after they finish their terms.
According to the court's directive, the state’s prison authorities must identify eligible individuals, arrange their transport, and ensure they are placed under the custody of the detention facility that houses foreign detainees. Officials have been given a short window to comply, and failure to do so could attract contempt proceedings.
Meghalaya’s Home Department said it is coordinating with the prison department and the Ministry of Home Affairs to meet the deadline. The department added that the move aims to streamline monitoring of foreign nationals and address security concerns linked to their post‑sentence status.
Legal experts note that the order aligns with national immigration policies that require foreign convicts to remain under supervision after release, preventing them from blending into the general population without oversight.
According to the court's directive, the state’s prison authorities must identify eligible individuals, arrange their transport, and ensure they are placed under the custody of the detention facility that houses foreign detainees. Officials have been given a short window to comply, and failure to do so could attract contempt proceedings.
Meghalaya’s Home Department said it is coordinating with the prison department and the Ministry of Home Affairs to meet the deadline. The department added that the move aims to streamline monitoring of foreign nationals and address security concerns linked to their post‑sentence status.
Legal experts note that the order aligns with national immigration policies that require foreign convicts to remain under supervision after release, preventing them from blending into the general population without oversight.