Centre agrees in SC to bring back deported persons, verify Indian citizenship claims

The Union Government on Friday informed the Supreme Court that certain persons deported to Bangladesh on suspicion of their citizenship would be brought back to India and their citizenship claims would be examined before any further action is taken. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta made the submission before a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul Pancholi during the hearing of petitions challenging Calcutta High Court orders directing repatriation of Bengali-speaking individuals.

During the hearing, the Solicitor General stated that the Centre had decided to bring the individuals back to India considering the peculiar facts and circumstances of the case. He further submitted that their citizenship status would be verified after their return and any future action would depend on the outcome of that inquiry. The Centre also requested that the statement should not be treated as a precedent for other cases.

The Supreme Court recorded the Centre’s submission in its order. The bench noted that the Government of India had decided to bring the respondents back to India and verify their claims of Indian citizenship, while clarifying that their continuation in the country would depend on the result of the verification process. Senior advocate Sanjay Hegde, appearing for the respondents, requested the court to formally record the statement made on behalf of the Centre.

The Solicitor General informed the court that the process of bringing the deported individuals back to India could take around eight to ten days. The matter relates to orders passed by the Calcutta High Court in September 2025 on habeas corpus petitions filed by relatives of persons allegedly deported to Bangladesh. The High Court had directed the repatriation of Sunali Khatun, her husband Danish Sekh and their son Sabir Sekh in one case, and Sweety Bibi along with her sons Kurban and Imam in another petition.

Earlier, in December last year, the Centre had agreed to bring back Sunali Khatun and her son on humanitarian grounds as she was pregnant at the time. During a previous hearing in November last year, the Supreme Court had also suggested that the Union Government consider bringing back the deported individuals to verify their citizenship claims before proceeding further.