Source: TH
Context: The Foreigners Tribunals (FTs) in Assam are quasi-judicial bodies formed under the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order of 1964.
- They are designed to determine whether a person is an Indian citizen or a foreigner.
Formation and Structure:
- Established through the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order of 1964, linked to the Foreigners’ Act of 1946.
- Although 300 FTs are sanctioned, only 100 are currently operational.
- The Assam government has recently instructed the Border police not to refer cases of non-Muslims who entered India before 2014 to the FTs, aligning with the Citizenship (Amendment) Act of 2019.
- This Act offers a citizenship application window for non-Muslims fleeing persecution from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
The FTs are quasi-judicial bodies formed by the central government through the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order of 1964 under Section 3 of the Foreigners’ Act of 1946, to let local authorities in a State refer a person suspected to be a foreigner to tribunals.
