The Supreme Court has registered a complaint filed by the Mangaldai Bar Association regarding the sorry state of affairs that have prevailing in the Foreigners’ Tribunals functioning in Darrang district of Assam.
Also read: Assam: Mangaldai Bar Association seeks removal of Foreigners’ Tribunals in Darrang
This came at a time when the Assam government is on way to set up 200 new Foreigners Tribunal in the State.
The apex court has already started process on the grievance petition which had been registered in the apex court against its diary No 31990/SCI/PIL(E)/2019.
The petition filed by Hemanta Kr Sarma, the general secretary of the local lawyers’ body has levelled some serious charges against the presiding officers of the five Foreigners Tribunals functioning in the district specifically, the one and four.
This was done on the basis of the resolutions passed in the executive committee meeting of the bar association that was held on June 19 last with its president Madhab Rajbongshi in the chair.
Among several resolutions, the meeting resolved to take strong exception of the discourteous behaviour of the presiding officers of the Foreigners Tribunals.
“Lawyers are the important part of the justice delivery system and they help the judicial or quasi judicial body to find out the truth and in such situations the derogatory remarks and misbehaviour to lawyers is a matter of grave concern,” stated Jayanta Deka, one of the senior members of the lawyers’ body while talking to Northeast Now.
The most alarming issue raised in the meeting was about the total disinclination of the presiding officers to follow the law of the land.
“Several executive members pointed out that the presiding officers of Foreingers Tribunals one and four refused to issue summon to the official witnesses.
They don’t entertain the petition which contain a prayer to issue summon for the official witnesses and even simply used to force the lawyers to withdraw the petition or else they don’t hesitate to throw it to the waste box,” Deka explained.
The executive members further stated that in most of the cases the copy of inquiry report, copy of other documents contained in the record including the copy of the testimonials of witnesses are not furnished.
In few rare occasions, when it is furnished, it is furnished not in time thereby causing injustice to the practicing lawyers and litigants.
The Bar Association drawing the attention of the the above mentioned grievances of the lawyers to the apex court also raised the very poor state of the infrastructure of all the Foreigners Tribunals in the district including lack of necessary basic amenities like sitting facilities , drinking water, wash room etc both for the lawyers and the litigant public.