Report No. 175

7. Public Interest Litigation

7.1 A petition in the nature of a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed in the supreme Court by All India Lawyers' Forum for Civil Liberties on 4 February, 1998 seeking directions to the Union of India to make adequate arrangements for the return of Bangladesh nationals illegally residing in India, to check their further infiltration, to officially declare them as "Bangladesh Nationals" as also to properly identify them and the land purchased and jobs occupied by them as well as their bank accounts. The state of west Bengal was I also made a party.

7.2 The Union of India and the state of west Bengal were directed by the Supreme Court to file status reports regarding Bangladeshi migrants illegally staying in India. The other North-Eastern States were also directed by the court to do so. The Supreme Court expressed serious concern about the infiltration from Bangladesh and the presence of infiltration in certain regions of the country and hoped that the Union of India and bordering states would take effective steps to check infiltration and deport illegal infiltrators.