The Meghalaya High Court has directed the state government to identify potential holding or detention centres within one week to house foreign prisoners who remain incarcerated in state jails despite having completed their sentences. During a hearing presided over by Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice W Diengdoh, Additional Advocate General K. Khan informed the court that the Home Department would identify these centres and file an affidavit detailing the roadmap for their establishment. The High Court firmly rejected the state’s prior justification that foreigners were kept in prison due to a lack of dedicated holding facilities, citing Supreme Court rulings that deem such prolonged incarceration illegal. The urgency of the matter was further heightened after discrepancies emerged regarding the number of affected individuals: while officials initially reported only one such Bangladeshi national two days prior, subsequent findings revealed 17 in the Shillong District Jail alone, with the AAG today clarifying that the state-wide total stands at approximately 28. Expressing strong concern, the division bench ordered authorities to render all necessary assistance—including support for those married to Indian citizens with children—to expedite their repatriation. Simultaneously, the High Court issued a notice to Inspector General of Prisons Zenith Sangma, asking why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against him for failing to provide timely and accurate information regarding foreign inmates serving beyond their terms.