New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday permitted the return of a pregnant woman, Sunali Khatun, and her eight-year-old son to India on what it described as purely humanitarian grounds, nearly seven months after they were sent to Bangladesh.
The decision came after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that the Union government had agreed to allow their return solely for humanitarian reasons and that they would remain under official surveillance. He also informed the bench that since Sunali had originally been taken into custody in Delhi, she and her child would be brought back to the national capital.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was hearing the Centre’s appeal against an earlier order of the Calcutta High Court directing that certain individuals deported from West Bengal be brought back from Bangladesh.
The Supreme Court also instructed the West Bengal government to ensure proper care for the minor and asked the Chief Medical Officer of Birbhum district to provide all necessary medical assistance to Sunali during her pregnancy, TNIE reported.
Earlier in the week, the court had urged the Union government to examine the possibility of allowing Sunali and her son to return, noting the humanitarian concerns involved.
During the hearing, senior advocate Sanjay Hegde told the court that Sunali was pregnant at the time she was deported and that her young son had been sent across the border along with her. He argued that keeping the mother and child apart would worsen their hardship and also pointed out that the child’s father had been deported as well, though the court did not make any observation on that aspect.
Sunali’s father, Bhodu Sekh, had approached the High Court seeking the production of his daughter, son-in-law and grandson, alleging illegal detention. He claimed that he was a permanent resident of West Bengal and that his daughter and son-in-law were Indian citizens by birth who had moved to Delhi for legitimate employment.