Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: The Gauhati High Court ordered the Assam government to pay Rs 2 lakh in interim compensation to Mujammel Hoque. His wife, Mumtaz Begum, was expelled to Bangladesh without her family knowing. Judges Kalyan Rai Surana and Susmita Phukan Khaund issued the order on September 3. It serves as a palliative measure for the state's failure to notify her family before her removal.
Begum faced a Foreigners Tribunal in Nagaon. On June 6, 2019, the tribunal declared her a foreign national. The High Court overturned that decision on April 20, 2024, after finding the tribunal ignored evidence. The court ordered her to appear back before the tribunal by May 30. She followed instructions. She showed up with her lawyer, yet police arrested her immediately after her counsel departed.
She moved through several facilities. She stayed at Juria and Nagaon Sadar police stations. Authorities then transferred her to the Matia transit camp in Goalpara and a holding centre in Eraligool. By June 13, the Border Security Force took custody. They pushed her into Bangladesh at 12:10 a.m. on June 14, 2026, via the Kalaincherra area.
The court blasted the process. Authorities kept her in the dark. They denied her the chance to appeal the tribunal's second opinion. The bench noted a potential case of malice by the tribunal member, who delayed the release of the May 30 opinion until June 5. By then, Begum was already gone. The court declared, "As the detenue has been expelled out of India without providing any information to the petitioner or any adult family member of the detention of the detenue, as an interim palliative measure, the court is inclined to direct the Government of Assam to pay an interim compensation of Rs 2,00,000 to the petitioner."
Assam must pay within 60 days. The court also brought the Ministry of External Affairs into the case. They must find Begum and bring her back to India. New rules now apply across the state. Superintendents of Police must provide a copy of any tribunal opinion to the affected individual before making an arrest. They must also notify adult family members before any relocation. The court will revisit this case on September 24.
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