Is speaking Bengali a ground for deportation, Supreme Court asks Centre to clarify
Is speaking Bengali a ground for deportation, Supreme Court asks Centre to clarify
M.U.H
30/08/202521
With reports of Bengali-speaking Muslim migrants being detained and, in some cases, deported on suspicion of being Bangladeshis, surfacing, the Supreme Court on Friday sought a clarification from the Centre whether speaking Bengali was being used as one of the grounds for deportation of individuals.
However, the apex court agreed with the Centre that border forces had the right to repulse entry of illegal migrants as they pose a threat to the nation's demography, security and strain its resources. Additionally, the court said that Calcutta High Court was free to deal with the habeas corpus petition moved before it for the production of “Sunali Bibi”, allegedly deported to Bangladesh.
During the hearing, the Centre contended that India is facing “systematic infiltration” by illegal migrants, with “agents operating” to facilitate their entry. Appearing for the government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta stressed that national security must remain a priority. “India is not the world’s capital for the world’s illegal immigrants,” he told the bench led by Justice Surya Kant.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the West Bengal govt's migrant workers' welfare board, told the bench that people are being deported just for speaking Bengali, without any verification of their citizenship by authorities or through tribunal.
The court nudged the Union government to clarify its official position. “Are claims of language being used to determine citizenship correct?” the bench asked. It underlined that the matter touches on “two important issues – the nation’s security and its legacy and common culture.” At the same time, it made clear that any action against individuals must follow a fair process: “It cannot be on the basis of language.”
The petition, filed by the West Bengal Migrant Workers’ Welfare Board and its chairperson, MP Sameerul Islam, claims that Bengali-speaking Muslim workers are being arbitrarily picked up in states like Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Delhi.
