The Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked the Punjab government to decide on a representation seeking action against illegal travel agents duping people by illegally sending them abroad.
A bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Harmeet Singh Grewal passed the direction Monday (February 17) while disposing of a public interest litigation (PIL) that establishment of “emigration check posts” in all districts of the state, an upgraded list of “certified recruiting agents” and stricter action against unauthorised travel agents involved in “human smuggling”.
The bench directed the petitioner, Advocate Kanwar Pahul Singh, to submit a representation to the authorities concerned, which must be decided within 30 days.
The observed that the matter fell under the jurisdiction of the competent authority under the Emigration Act, 1983, and refrained from making any comments on the merits of the case. “The grievance alleged is of rampant illegal immigrants being sent abroad through illegal means in violation of certain provisions of the Emigration Act, 1983,” the bench noted.
The petitioner, appearing in person, sought directions to the Union of India and others to set up emigration check posts under the Emigration Act, 1983, to streamline the migration process and prevent incidents such as the recent deportation of illegal immigrants from the United States.
He also sought an updated list of certified recruiting agents and permitted foreign employers “in order to prevent people of Punjab from becoming the victim of such con/fake travel agents in future”.
Submitting that the recent deportation of illegal immigrants of India by the USA, caused losses of crores of rupees to the people of Punjab, he urged the court to order a crackdown on illegal travel agents operating in Punjab under the Punjab Prevention of Human Smuggling Act, 2012.
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“Direct respondents to identify, find and take immediate action against all ‘fake/con travel agents,’ who are not having a license to run business in the territory of State of Punjab,” he contended.
Appearing for the Union government, Additional Solicitor General of India Satya Pal Jain, along with Advocate Dheeraj Jain, opposed the plea.
Advocate Jain contended that many of the immigrants had left the country for European countries on study or tourist visas and then illegally entered the US.
The counsel said the Protector of Emigrants in Chandigarh has forwarded a total of 127 complaints over the unscrupulous agents to the Punjab government for action in the past year. Of the complaints, 57 were received from victims, he said.
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The court, while disposing of the petition, directed that the representation be decided within 30 days. “If done, within a period of 30 days, [the representation] shall be considered and decided by respondents…as expeditiously as possible by passing a speaking order and the outcome shall be communicated to the petitioner,” the court ordered.
Notably, after the first batch of 104 illegal Indian immigrants -, including 31 from Punjab, were deported from the US on February 5, the Punjab Police formed a special investigation team to probe the issue of illegal human trafficking. Two more batches of 116 and 112 deportees arrived on February 15 and 16, respectively. They included 65 from Punjab in the second batch and 31 in the third batch.