The Calcutta HC ordered the return of six people, including a pregnant woman, who were deported to Bangladesh earlier this year. The court ruled the deportation was “illegal” and instructed the Union Home Ministry to ensure they come back to West Bengal in four weeks.
A Division Bench of Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Reetobroto Kumar Mitra dismissed the Centre’s request to delay the order. The Supreme Court had previously asked the High Court to prioritize the case of the pregnant woman, Sunali Khatun.
6 Bengalis deported to Bangladesh after Calcutta HC order
The six individuals from two families in Birbhum arrested by Delhi Police in Rohini on June 26. The Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) later deported them to Bangladesh, claiming they lacked valid documents and spoke Bengali.
On Friday, the High Court said that the deportation order was a “wrong pushback.” It further directed that the individuals, including Sunali Khatun, must return to Bengal in a month. The Centre informed the court that it plans to appeal the ruling in the Supreme Court.
Deportation spark political tensions
The Calcutta HC verdict has create strong political reactions in Bengal. Trinamool Congress general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee welcomed the court’s decision in a post on X, accusing the BJP of targeting Bengalis. He wrote, “The Hon’ble Calcutta High Court has held the FRRO (Delhi) detention and deportation order illegal. This judgment reveals a cruel and systematic campaign of harassment aimed at Bengalis.”
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