Supreme Court Reinforces Due Process in Citizenship Determination

that citizenship and foreigner status must be determined through a fair, lawful, and reasoned process.

• The Court set aside 27 Gauhati High Court judgments upholding Foreigners Tribunals (FTs) that had declared several individuals in Assam as foreigners and ordered fresh adjudication.

Background of the Case

• The case originated from a 1997 decision of the Illegal Migrants (Determination) Tribunal (IMDT), which declared Sabitri Dey and her husband illegal migrants after they failed to appear before the Tribunal.
• üThey contended that they had no knowledge of the proceedings and that the decision relied on hearsay evidence.
• üAfter the Gauhati High Court dismissed their ....