Assam woman deported to Bangladesh despite high court relief

Mumtaz Begum from Assam was deported to Bangladesh despite relief from the Guwahati High Court, following her arrest by the Foreign Tribunal.

The case of 44-year-old Mumtaz Begum from Assam is once again in the spotlight. Her family and lawyers allege that despite receiving relief from the Guwahati High Court, she was directly arrested by the Foreigners Tribunal and detained, and later deported to Bangladesh without the High Court's permission.

According to a report by Scroll, Mumtaz Begum was declared a foreigner by the Nagaon Foreigners Tribunal in 2019. However, in April 2026, the Guwahati High Court overturned this decision, stating that the tribunal had not considered several crucial documentary evidences. The High Court sent the case back to the tribunal for a fresh hearing. On May 30, when Begum appeared before the tribunal again, her lawyers claim that within minutes, the tribunal member called the police and had her arrested. It is alleged that no separate order for her arrest was issued, and she was first sent to Nagaon police, then to the Matia Detention Centre in Goalpara. A week later, the family learned that she was not there either. During a habeas corpus petition filed in the High Court, the government revealed that she had already been deported to Bangladesh.

Lawyers H.R.A. Choudhury and Sanjay Hegde, representing Begum, stated,

When the High Court had sent the case for reconsideration, the question of her citizenship was not finally decided. In such a situation, the Foreigners Tribunal did not have the authority to order her arrest or detention.

The dispute over Mumtaz Begum's citizenship has been ongoing since 1997, when she was declared a "D-Voter" (doubtful voter). In 2017, she was considered an Indian citizen, but after questions arose about the process of that decision, the High Court ordered a rehearing of 188 cases. In the rehearing, she was declared a foreigner in 2019, which was again overturned by the High Court in April 2026.

The High Court, in its order, stated that the tribunal had not properly evaluated several important documents presented by Begum—such as voter lists, land records, school certificates, and family records. The court also suggested that members of the Foreigners Tribunal should be given training from time to time. Despite this, in the new order on May 30, the Foreigners Tribunal declared Begum a foreigner again without adequately reviewing the same documents. On June 19, the High Court asked the authorities for information on her whereabouts and stayed the deportation without the court's permission. However, six days later, the state government informed the court that Begum had already been deported to Bangladesh.