Bill Proposed to Deny Foreigners Visas on Grounds of National Security; Urdu’s Exile Diminishes Indian Pluralism; Intl Commission of Jurists Raises Concern Over Independence of Indian Judiciary

A newsletter from The Wire | Founded by Tanweer Alam, Sidharth Bhatia, Pratik Kanjilal, Seema Chishti, Sushant Singh, MK Venu, and Siddharth Varadarajan | Contributing writer: Kalrav Joshi, with additional inputs by Anirudh SK

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Over to Sidharth Bhatia for today’s Cable

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Snapshot of the day

March 12, 2025

Sidharth Bhatia

Foreigners can be denied visas on national security grounds, have their movements restricted, and face penalties for violating entry and exit rules, according to a proposed ‘Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025’ tabled in the Lok Sabha by minister of state for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai yesterday. It proposes an overhaul of India’s immigration laws, replacing several colonial-era legislations, including the Foreigners Act, 1946, the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920, the Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939, and the Immigration (Carriers’ Liability) Act, 2000. The bill seeks to regulate various services related to immigration and foreigners, including their entry, exit, and stay in India. It mentions that any foreigner posing a threat to “national security, sovereignty, or the integrity of the nation” will not be allowed into the country or will be denied permission to stay in India. The provision even makes the immigration officer’s decision “final and binding,” without any appeal mechanism.

The Statement of Objects and Reasons submitted with the bill mentions that the acts “are not only from the pre-Constitution period but were also brought in during the extraordinary times of the First and Second World Wars.” The bill would establish an overarching Bureau of Immigration with a Commissioner at its head, who will be assisted by Foreigners Regional Registration Officers, Foreigners Registration Officers, Chief Immigration Officers, and other immigration officers designated by the Centre.

The bill has sparked criticism from the opposition, citing multiple violations of Fundamental Rights and other provisions of the Constitution of India. Congress MP Manish Tewari said in Parliament,