New Delhi - The Supreme Court of India gave a historic verdict on Tuesday by scrapping the Illegal Migrants Determination by Tribunal (IMDT) Act, 1983. This has created a wave of controversy among different political parties who hold different viewpoints, some in favor and some against.

This order is operative only in Assam, because the Act was the instrument for detection and deportation of illegal immigrants, mainly from Bangladesh. This practice has been going on unchecked directly under the nose of main political parties because none of them can afford to reduce their votes.

As the State is to go to the polls next year, the political parties would like to make capital out of it in spite of the Supreme Court Order. They will make hue and cry to get this issues at the top of their agenda particularly by supporting the illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

There are apprehensions that the leaders of minority political parties would raise a question that the law has given blanket power to police to deport a person without a judicial verification.

The IMDT was applicable to Bangladeshi nationals who had settled in Assam on or after March 25, 1971. The onus of proving the citizenship of a suspected illegal foreigner rested on the complainant as well as illegal person.