The Calcutta High Court has issued a strict directive to the West Bengal government to expedite the construction of barbed wire fencing along the unprotected portions of the India–Bangladesh border. Emphasizing national security, the court set March 31 as the deadline for the state to hand over the required land to the Border Security Force (BSF). The bench, led by Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Parthasarathi Sen, delivered the order on January 27.

The court noted that the central government had already provided funds for land acquisition covering about 180 kilometers of the border but accused the state of unnecessary delay in transferring the land. It rejected the state’s justification of prolonged “social impact assessment” procedures and described such inaction as concerning given the sensitivity of the international boundary. The court also directed both the central and state governments to file affidavits on whether emergency land acquisition could proceed in areas still awaiting cabinet approval.

The next hearing in the case has been scheduled for April 2.