bdnews24.com :
In a historic judgment, the High Court in India’s Meghalaya state has said that settlers from what is now Bangladesh who have settled before March 24, 1971 should be treated as Indians and enrolled in the voters list, says the “Times of India”.
The judgment was based on a petition by over 40 refugees originally from what is now Bangladesh, who were denied enrolment in the electoral roll by the district administration citing their citizenship as doubtful.
These refugees hailing from Amjong village near the Assam-Meghalaya border in Meghalaya’s Ri-Bhoi
district moved the high court after their citizenship certificates were seized by the deputy commissioner.
Justice S R Sen, in his May 15 order, directed the district deputy commissioner Pooja Pandey to return the seized certificates to the petitioners and enrol them in the voters list before the next elections.
Justice Sen said there was an understanding between the two countries as to who should be allowed to stay and who should be deported back to Bangladesh.
“It is clearly understood that the forefathers of the petitioners entered India much before March 24, 1971. As such there is no question of deporting them at this stage when they have acquired the right of permanent rehabilitation in Amjong village,” he said.
Ruling out the contention that they were Bangladesh citizens, the court said there was no scope for their deportation and directed the state government and the Centre not to disturb them, but to give them proper rehabilitation.
Bangladesh did not exist and was East Pakistan when these settlers came to India and settled in Meghalaya.
The state government had earlier argued that the petitioners and their forefathers were not permanent citizens and were rehabilitated temporarily by the autonomous district council.
In a historic judgment, the High Court in India’s Meghalaya state has said that settlers from what is now Bangladesh who have settled before March 24, 1971 should be treated as Indians and enrolled in the voters list, says the “Times of India”.
The judgment was based on a petition by over 40 refugees originally from what is now Bangladesh, who were denied enrolment in the electoral roll by the district administration citing their citizenship as doubtful.
These refugees hailing from Amjong village near the Assam-Meghalaya border in Meghalaya’s Ri-Bhoi
district moved the high court after their citizenship certificates were seized by the deputy commissioner.
Justice S R Sen, in his May 15 order, directed the district deputy commissioner Pooja Pandey to return the seized certificates to the petitioners and enrol them in the voters list before the next elections.
Justice Sen said there was an understanding between the two countries as to who should be allowed to stay and who should be deported back to Bangladesh.
“It is clearly understood that the forefathers of the petitioners entered India much before March 24, 1971. As such there is no question of deporting them at this stage when they have acquired the right of permanent rehabilitation in Amjong village,” he said.
Ruling out the contention that they were Bangladesh citizens, the court said there was no scope for their deportation and directed the state government and the Centre not to disturb them, but to give them proper rehabilitation.
Bangladesh did not exist and was East Pakistan when these settlers came to India and settled in Meghalaya.
The state government had earlier argued that the petitioners and their forefathers were not permanent citizens and were rehabilitated temporarily by the autonomous district council.
