Stories
Jharkhand HC Seeks Centre Response on Non-Deportation of Bangladeshi Woman
- •The Jharkhand High Court asked the Centre why a Bangladeshi woman has not been deported since 2020 and remains in the Hazaribagh Foreigners Holding Centre.
- •The woman was arrested in 2018 for a child kidnapping case, served a two-year sentence, and was transferred to the holding centre after being identified as a foreign national without valid documents.
- •A petition filed by social worker Apurva Vivek also alleged that the woman was repeatedly sexually assaulted by police constables assigned to secure the centre.
- •Advocate General Rohitashya Roy stated that multiple communications were sent to the Ministry of External Affairs, but no deportation action was taken.
- •The Hazaribagh District Legal Services Authority submitted a sealed report confirming the sexual assault allegations, and the court scheduled the next hearing for October 15.
Key Questions Answered
The woman was arrested in 2018 for child kidnapping in Jamtara and served a two-year prison sentence. Although she was released in 2020 and identified as a Bangladeshi national without valid documents, she was never deported because the Ministry of External Affairs failed to act despite multiple communications sent by the state government.
Apurva Vivek filed a petition alleging that the Bangladeshi woman was subjected to sexual assault and raped several times by police constables assigned to provide security at the Hazaribagh holding centre. The Hazaribagh District Legal Services Authority subsequently submitted a sealed report confirming that these allegations of sexual assault were true.
During a hearing on October 5, 2026, a division bench led by Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad questioned the state government about why the woman had not been deported after completing her sentence. The High Court directed the Union government to submit a detailed response and scheduled the next hearing for October 15.
