Foreigners’ Tribunals in Assam
▪ The report is titled “Unmaking Citizens: The Architecture of Rights Violations and Exclusion in India’s Citizenship Trials.”
▪ It is authored by researchers from National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru and
Queen Mary University of London.
▪ The report critically analyses the functioning of Foreigners’ Tribunals (FTs) in Assam.
▪ As of 2025, the FTs in Assam have declared nearly 1,66,000 individuals as “foreigners.”
Foreigners’ Tribunals (FTs) in Assam
▪ Formed under: Foreigners (Tribunals) Order, 1964, issued under Section 3 of the Foreigners’ Act, 1946.
▪ It is a quasi-judicial bodies.
▪ Purpose: To allow State authorities to refer cases of suspected foreigners to tribunals for
determination.
▪ Exclusive to Assam: Other States follow the Foreigners’ Act without a dedicated tribunal system.
▪ FTs have powers similar to civil courts, including:Summoning witnesses, Enforcing attendance, Examining persons under oath, Requiring document production
▪ Types of Cases: The FTs get two kinds of cases:
✓ Those against whom a “reference” has been made by border police.
✓ Those whose names are in the electoral rolls have a D (Doubtful) against them.
✓ Cases of ‘D’ or doubtful voters can also be referred to an FT by the Election Commission of
India
