High Court Seeks State Affidavit on Delay in Land Handover for Border Fencing

MP, Kolkata, 11 December 2025 : The Calcutta High Court has directed the principal secretary of the state Land Department to file an affidavit in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking the completion of barbed-wire fencing along the India–Bangladesh border. The division bench, headed by Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul, reportedly observed that the state must explain the delay in handing over the required land to the Union Home Ministry, despite the Centre's claim that funds had been released for acquiring 181 km of land.

Once the state files its affidavit, the Centre may also respond with any counter-submissions. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on December 22, 2025. Earlier, the court had granted the Bengal government an additional week to submit a status report on the progress made in completing fencing along vulnerable stretches of the India–Bangladesh border.

The plea, filed by Lt. General Subrata Saha (Retd), former Deputy Chief of Army Staff and currently the executive chairman of the Manekshaw Centre for National Security Studies and Research, highlights concerns over the "persistent security vulnerability" posed by unfenced sections of the Indo-Bangladesh border in West Bengal.

The petition notes that, while the Union Home Ministry has made significant allocations for the fencing project, delays in land acquisition have hindered progress in the state. The plea further states that out of the total 2,216.7-km stretch of the international border, several segments remain unfenced, exacerbating security concerns.