Centre Agrees In Supreme Court To Bring Back Some Persons Deported To Bangladesh & To Verify Citizenship Claim

The Union Government on Friday undertook before the Supreme Court to bring back certain persons who were deported to Bangladesh, and to determine their citizenship status before taking further steps.

Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta made this submission before a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul Pancholi. The bench was hearing the Union's petitions challenging the Calcutta High Court's directions to repatriate certain Bengali-speaking individuals who were sent to Bangladesh on suspicion of their citizenship.

"My instructions are, the Government will bring them back, and thereafter will examine their status, and depending on the outcome, will take steps accordingly," SG Mehta submitted.

Senior Advocate Sanjay Hegde, for the respondents, requested the bench to record the statement of the SG. The SG said that the statement can be recorded with the condition that it was being made in the peculiar facts of the case and cannot be regarded as a precedent.

The bench passed the following order :

"The Solicitor General of India submits that keeping in view the peculiar facts and circumstances of the case, and by not treating it as a precedent to be followed in other instances, the Government of India has decided to bring the respondents back to India and to verify the claim of Indian citizenship. Their continuation in India will depend on the outcome of such enquiry."

The SG said that it might take 8-10 days to bring the persons back.

The High Court, in September 2025, while acting on habeas corpus petitions filed by the relatives of deported persons, had directed the repatriation of Sunali Khatun, her husband, Danish Sekh and son Sabir Sekh. In another petition, the High Court directed the repatriation of Sweety Bibi and her sons, Kurban and Imam.

In December last year, the Union had agreed to bring back Sunali Khatun, who was pregnant then, and her son, to India on humanitarian grounds. In an earlier hearing in November last year, the Supreme Court had suggested to the Union to bring back the persons to verify their claim of citizenship.

Case : UNION OF INDIA Vs BHODU SEKH | SLP(Crl) No. 18658/2025 & UNION OF INDIA Vs AMIR KHAN & Ors | SLP(Crl) 18891/2025