Bhubaneswar: The Calcutta High Court on January 27 directed the West Bengal government to hand over land already acquired for Indo-Bangladesh border fencing to the Border Security Force (BSF) by March 31, 2026, asserting that national security cannot be subordinated to electoral or administrative delays.
The order was passed by a division bench headed by Chief Justice Sujoy Paul, which expressed concern over prolonged delays in fencing large stretches of the state’s 2,216-km international border with Bangladesh. The court noted that unfenced areas have remained vulnerable, facilitating illegal infiltration, cross-border smuggling and security breaches.
Rejecting the state government’s submissions citing election schedules and policy considerations, the bench observed that such factors cannot override urgent security requirements. The court categorised the land issue into three segments:
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Land already acquired must be immediately transferred to the BSF.
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Land under acquisition process must be completed and handed over by the March 31, 2026 deadline.
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Fresh land requirements must be taken up on an urgent basis to avoid further delays.
The court made it clear that fencing the international border is a matter of national importance and administrative inertia cannot be allowed to compromise border security.
Opposition leaders welcomed the ruling, describing it as a decisive step to remove political and bureaucratic hurdles that have stalled the fencing project for years. They argued that the order would strengthen border management and curb illegal activities.
The West Bengal government has not yet issued an official response to the High Court’s directive.
-OdishaAge
