Indian Supreme Court seeks central govt, Maharashtra response on alleged deportation of woman to Bangladesh
According to a petition, there was no judicial determination of her nationality, formal deportation proceedings, consular verification or meaningful opportunity for her to contest the allegation that she was a Bangladeshi national.
The Supreme Court of India yesterday (17 September) sought responses from the Indian government and Maharashtra authorities over a petition challenging the detention and deportation of an Indian woman to Bangladesh.
The petition filed by Sahin Fakir alleges that his mother, Sahida, was detained in Mumbai and subsequently deported to Bangladesh without proper verification of her nationality, reports The Hindu.
It also questions the validity of the 2 May 2025 standard operating procedure titled "Procedure for Deportation of Illegal Bangladeshi Nationals/Rohingya-regarding" and the Immigration and Foreigners Order, 2025.
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A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant heard the matter. Senior advocate S Muralidhar and advocate Prasanna S, representing Fakir, argued that the provisions allowed authorities to remove people apprehended in India without adequate safeguards under law and the Constitution.
Woman allegedly deported without nationality verification
Fakir claimed his mother was unlawfully detained and "pushed out" of India into Bangladesh in July despite not being given an opportunity to establish her nationality.
According to the petition, Sahida is an Indian citizen and permanent resident of Gobindapur in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district.
The petition says 63 permanent residents of the village, including Fakir and members of Sahida's family, submitted a representation to the district magistrate seeking her return to India. It cited the representation as further evidence of the family's longstanding connection to the village.
Fakir also connected his mother's alleged deportation with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal.
The petition says Sahida's Indian identity and longstanding ties to the state are supported by identity and civil documents as well as earlier electoral records. Her name, however, was removed from the electoral roll during the SIR exercise, a decision that was being challenged before a tribunal.
Sahida reportedly moved to Mumbai with her husband around two decades ago in search of work and was employed as a domestic worker.
Petition alleges prolonged detention
The petition alleges that Sahida was intercepted in Mumbai on 19 July by people identifying themselves as police officers.
She was allegedly taken into custody and transported to a detention facility, while her identity documents and mobile phone were seized.
Fakir claimed authorities had not conducted a proper inquiry into her nationality or provided her with an effective opportunity to prove that she was an Indian citizen.
The petition further alleges that she spent more than 100 hours in custody without being produced before a judicial magistrate or being informed of the reasons for her detention.
Five days after her detention, she was allegedly handed over to the Indian Border Security Force and taken to the international border before being forcibly sent into Bangladesh.
According to the petition, there was no judicial determination of her nationality, formal deportation proceedings, consular verification or meaningful opportunity for her to contest the allegation that she was a Bangladeshi national.
