Kolkata HC rules forced deportation of Indians to Bangladesh ‘illegal’

In a landmark ruling with far-reaching implications for India’s treatment of suspected foreign nationals, the Calcutta High Court has declared the detention and forced deportation of six Indian citizens, including a pregnant woman, to Bangladesh as “illegal and unconstitutional.” A division bench comprising Justices Tapobrata Chakraborty and Ritabrata Mitra directed the Union Government to repatriate all six individuals from Bangladesh within four weeks. The court’s order follows two separate writ petitions filed by the families of those wrongfully expelled, highlighting systemic failures in identity verification and due process. Among those deported was Sonali Khatun, a 26-year-old woman from Paikar in West Bengal’s Birbhum district, who is now approximately eight months pregnant and detained in Chapainawabganj District Jail in Bangladesh. She...