Big news from the Supreme Court today. The Centre caved. Or, well, they conceded.
The Solicitor General, Tushar Mehta, informed the Bench—Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi—that the pregnant woman, Sonali, and her eight-year-old son Sabir will be brought back to India.
This happened. And it followed a heavy nudge from the Supreme Court. The court kept pushing them on the “humanitarian grounds” angle. Can’t ignore a heavily pregnant woman and her young son.
The Background, A Quick Jot
Sonali Khatun. She was picked up in Delhi back in June. Her husband and young son, too. Suspicion was that they were Bangladeshi nationals, or nothing.
The thing is… the family was quickly pushed across the border. Within about two days of detention. They were handed over to officials in Bangladesh. And then? They got arrested there for being illegal immigrants. They only just got released on bail by a Bangladeshi court on Monday. This has been a mess, let’s be real.
Sonali is a resident of Paikar in Birbhum district, West Bengal. She’s reportedly in her ninth month of pregnancy now.
Her father, Bhodu Sheikh, he’s the one who fought this. He went to the Calcutta High Court. He argued his daughter, son-in-law, and grandson are all Indian citizens. He had documents—land records, birth certificates, the works
And the High Court agreed. On September 26, the court ruled that the deportation was illegal. It violated procedures—like the Centre’s own 30-day verification process. They straight-up cancelled the deportation order. They told the Centre to bring back six people, including Sonali and her family, within four weeks. The Centre challenged that directive in the Supreme Court.
The Citizenship Tangle
The Solicitor General did stress that Sonali is being brought back purely on humanitarian grounds. He mentioned her place is listed as Birbhum, but they maintain she’s a Bangladeshi.
Justice Bagchi noted the simpler path to citizenship—parentage. If she can establish a biological connection with Bhodu Sheikh (her father). And then her son also becomes Indian through her. That’s the core issue they have to untangle.
The Centre challenged the High Court order, which is why we’re here at the Supreme Court. The next hearing for the matter is scheduled for December 10. So, the immediate relief is there, but the larger question? That citizenship battle—it’s ongoing.
