Shillong: Meghalaya high court has directed the state govt to shift foreign nationals who have completed their prison sentences but remain in custody to a temporary detention and holding centre by Sept 28.A status report submitted by the state govt before the court said around 30 foreign nationals were still lodged in different jails despite completing their sentences.A division bench comprising Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice Wanlura Diengdoh on Monday directed govt to move them to Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBOSE) hostel in Shillong’s Laitumkhrah locality.Govt selected the MBOSE hostel after the bench rejected an earlier proposal to use a building in Nongstoin. The three-storey hostel has around 60 beds across six dormitories and is considered adequate to accommodate the foreign nationals currently in custody.According to the status report, the proposed centre will have adequate security and administrative staff, medical personnel, CCTV surveillance and fire-safety arrangements.Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO), Kolkata, Nidhi Rani, who appeared before the court through video conference, said deportation orders had been issued in four cases and efforts were under way to repatriate the individuals concerned.She assured the court that necessary action would also be initiated in the cases of other foreign nationals who had completed their sentences but continued to remain in custody.The court was informed that two inmates each from Myanmar and Nigeria, along with a Bangladeshi national, had remained in custody for more than five years after completing their sentences.The bench also directed the state govt and FRRO to provide details of the mechanism for paying compensation to foreign nationals detained beyond the completion of their prison terms.The matter will be heard next on Sept 28. The court directed the officials concerned to remain present either physically or through video conference.
