Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana convened a three‑judge bench that today issued a notice to the Centre, demanding a response within four weeks to a plea filed by Sahin Akhtar. Akhtar’s mother, a permanent resident of Gobindapur in North 24 Parganas, has her grandfather Badsa Gazi listed on the 1952 electoral roll and her parents on the 2002 roll, evidence the Court cites as proof of her long‑standing Indian citizenship.
The mother was intercepted on July 19, 2026, in Mumbai by men claiming to be police. They seized her identity documents and mobile, held her for over 100 hours without a judicial magistrate’s review, and denied her legal counsel or contact with family.
After roughly five days in detention, she was handed over to the Border Security Force, transported toward the northeast, and then pushed across an international border into Bangladesh. No consular verification, no declaration of nationality, and no opportunity to contest the alleged Bangladeshi citizenship were provided.
The petition also challenges the May 2, 2025 Standard Operating Procedure titled "Procedure for Deportation of Illegal Bangladeshi Nationals/Rohingya‑Related" and the 2025 Immigration and Foreigners Order, arguing they allow removal without the safeguards prescribed by law and the Constitution. The Court has asked the Centre to produce the woman, order her immediate return, and declare the deportation illegal under Articles 14, 19, 21 and 22.
The Centre is expected to file its reply by the end of the next month. A hearing will likely follow, with the Court poised to decide whether the deportation and the SOP violate fundamental rights.