By NE NOW NEWS
Guwahati: The Supreme Court on June 5, Friday, halted the deportation of four Assam women declared foreigners by Foreigners Tribunals, granting them interim relief and seeking responses from the Assam government, the Union government, and the Election Commission of India within four weeks.
The order came after hearing petitions filed by Basiram Nessa, Nureza Begum, Saleha Khatun, and Sarbhanu Begum.
Saleha Khatun, 50, has been lodged at the Goalpara detention centre since March 2 after a Foreigners Tribunal in Darrang declared her a foreign national, a decision later upheld by the Gauhati High Court.
She claims Indian citizenship based on her father’s name in pre-1971 electoral rolls and submitted multiple documents, including NRC-related records and certificates.
The tribunal rejected her claim in 2018, citing inconsistencies in personal details and lack of examination of issuing authorities.
Sarbhanu Begum, also around 50 and working as a domestic help, is in detention after being declared a foreign national.
She relied on old electoral rolls and witness testimony to establish her lineage, but the tribunal rejected her plea due to spelling variations and inconsistencies in records linked to her husband.
Nureza Begum challenged an ex parte tribunal order declaring her a foreigner, saying she was unaware of the legal implications despite attending proceedings.
The Gauhati High Court upheld the tribunal’s decision, noting she failed to pursue available remedies.
Basiram Nessa said she submitted voter lists from 1965 and 1989 along with local certificates to prove her parentage.
She alleged that the tribunal ignored key documents and wrongly rejected her claim. While her earlier pleas were dismissed by the High Court, the Supreme Court has now stepped in.