Centre tells Supreme Court it will bring back persons allegedly ‘pushed’ to Bangladesh

The Center informed the Supreme Court of India on Friday, May 22, 2026, that it will bring back to India several people whose families were allegedly “pushed” to Bangladesh and will verify their citizenship claims upon their return.

Chief Public Prosecutor Tushar Mehta said, “The government will bring them back and then examine their situation. Necessary steps will be taken depending on the result.”

The court sent the matter to hearing in July.

The top court was hearing the Centre’s appeal against the Kolkata High Court’s September 26, 2025 order setting aside the Union government’s decision to deport Sunali Khatun and some others to Bangladesh and terming it “illegal”. On December 3 last year, the high court allowed only Ms Khatun and her eight-year-old child to enter India on “humanitarian grounds”. Others who were deported with them were not taken into account.

Senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Sanjay Hegde, appearing on behalf of Ms Khatun’s father Bhodu Sekh, had been repeatedly demanding a hearing in the court. Mr. Mehta’s submission came as a relief to the petitioner.

Mr Sekh had alleged that his daughter, grandson and son-in-law were illegally arrested, detained and deported to Bangladesh on June 26 last year following an identity verification exercise initiated following a notification from the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Mr. Sekh had maintained that he was a permanent resident of West Bengal and that his daughter and son-in-law were Indian citizens by birth. The Center argued that the deportees could not provide any documentary evidence to show that they were Indians.