New Delhi: The Supreme Court has directed the Union government to bring back six people from West Bengal, including a pregnant woman, who were pushed into Bangladesh without verification of their citizenship. The court issued the direction during a hearing on the case of Sunali Khatun from Birbhum district. She and five others were detained in Delhi in June and sent across the border within three days.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant asked the government why it failed to follow an earlier order of the Calcutta high court. The high court had instructed the government to bring the six people back within four weeks. The Union government did not follow this directive and moved the Supreme Court instead. The court said the government must first bring them back to India. It said their citizenship documents can be reviewed only after their return.
The families submitted electoral records from 2002, along with land documents from 1952, to show long-standing ties to India. Khatun’s father said the family went to Delhi for work because of poverty. He said they had never expected to face such treatment. Lawyers for the petitioners said the government should have checked the documents before deportation. They said sending people out of the country without verification goes against due process.
A court in Bangladesh has also asked the Indian high commission in Dhaka to help return the group. The Supreme Court has now placed responsibility on the Union government to act on the court orders and handle the case through a fair and evidence-based process.
