The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Assam Legal Services Authority to arrange a “surprise visit” for foreigners to inspect the living conditions for refugees at the Matia transit camp in Goalpara, Live Law reported. It is the largest detention centre in India.

In July, the court had rapped the state government for the “sorry state of affairs” at the camp, including inadequate water supply and the lack of proper toilets. It also said that the quality of food being served to refugees needs to be assessed, along with the availability of healthcare services.

This came in response to a report from the secretary of the Assam Legal Services Authority on the living conditions of the inmates.

The facility became operational in January 2023 and held 211 inmates as of August 6. Most of the detainees, 89 Rohingya and 32 Chin, are refugees from Myanmar who had fled persecution.

The court in its order on Friday directed the secretary of the Assam State Legal Services Authority to arrange an inspection of the facility “for the purpose of verifying whether the claim made by the state in the affidavit of the state is correct”.

It was not immediately clear when the state submitted the affidavit in question or what claims it has made.

The secretary of the State Legal Services Authority shall nominate officers to make periodical visits to the camp without prior notice to the authorities for the purpose of verifying cleanliness and hygiene quality of food, the court said.

The secretary has been asked to file a report in the matter before the next hearing on November 4, PTI reported.

The court was hearing a plea concerning the deportation of declared foreigners living at the camp and the facilities provided to the inmates.

On September 10, the court ordered the Assam government to submit a plan for the deportation of the 211 declared foreigners.

More than a hundred Rohingya and Chin refugees from Myanmar, including children and women, launched a hunger strike in the camp on September 9, Scroll had reported.

The refugees, who have cards issued by the United Nations’ refugee agency, have been demanding that they be handed over to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, transferred to a detention centre in Delhi and have sought eventual resettlement in a third country.

A person in touch with the refugees had told Scroll that the quality of the food being served to the inmates was substandard and the centre had poor hygienic conditions, as highlighted in the Assam State Legal Services Authority’s report submitted to the Supreme Court on August 14.

Also read: Myanmar refugees launch hunger strike, seek transfer from Assam detention centre