GUWAHATI | The Gauhati High Court has sought precise dates and times from the Assam government to establish when a Nagaon Foreigners’ Tribunal prepared the orders that led to the deportation of two women to Bangladesh, raising fresh questions over the circumstances in which the action was carried out.

A division bench of Justices Kalyan Rai Surana and Pranjal Das, hearing the cases on October 7, directed the state government to disclose when the tribunal prepared its opinions declaring Jahanara Begum and Mumtaz Begum foreigners.

The court warned that if the government failed to provide the details, it would presume that the opinions “were not made ready within the appropriate time” before the women were taken into police custody, The Indian Express reported.

The High Court is examining the two cases separately but has issued similar directions in both. The orders were uploaded to the court’s website on Thursday.

Two women deported, whereabouts still unknown

The deportations have come under judicial scrutiny because the women were sent to Bangladesh while their legal challenges were still pending. Their present whereabouts remain unknown, and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has informed the court that efforts to trace them are continuing.

During the latest hearing, the MEA sought additional time, saying inquiries into the women’s whereabouts were still underway. Reports in late September indicated that Bangladeshi authorities had begun searching for Mumtaz after media organisations raised questions about her case.

In September, the High Court had directed the Assam government to investigate when the tribunal prepared fresh opinions declaring the two women foreigners. Those opinions formed the basis for their deportation.

Court orders interim compensation in Mumtaz’s case

According to court records, Mumtaz Begum, 43, was declared a foreign national by the Foreigners’ Tribunal, 4th Nagaon, at Juria. She was handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) on June 13 and sent to Bangladesh during the night of June 13-14 through the Kalaincherra area of Cachar district.

The High Court subsequently directed the Assam government to pay interim compensation of Rs 2 lakh to her husband, Mujammel Hoque.

The court noted that Mumtaz had been sent to Bangladesh without her husband or any adult family member being informed of her detention. It also observed that the circumstances had prevented her from effectively challenging the tribunal’s decision.

The latest direction seeks to establish the timeline surrounding the tribunal’s opinions, a crucial aspect of the court’s examination of the deportations.

Deportation cases trigger political controversy

The issue has also become a point of political contention in Assam. During the recent Nagaon bypoll, Opposition parties questioned the state government over the deportation of the two women. The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) lodged a police complaint against BJP candidate Devashish Sharma, who was serving as Nagaon deputy commissioner during the period in question.

The Assam Congress, meanwhile, wrote to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, seeking his intervention to trace the women. With both women still untraced, the High Court’s demand for precise records places renewed focus on the timing of the tribunal’s decisions and the procedures followed before their deportation.