HC Admits Contempt Plea Against Centre

MP, Kolkata, 13 Nov 2025 : The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday admitted a contempt of court petition against the Union government for failing to comply with its earlier order directing the return of six migrant workers, including Sunali Khatun, from Bangladesh. The Centre has been asked to file a response by November 28.

During the hearing, counsel for the families of the detained migrants informed the division bench of Justices Tapabrata Chakraborty and Reetobroto Kumar Mitra that the Centre had filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) before the Supreme Court challenging the High Court’s order. However, the SLP was found defective as both matters were clubbed under one petition and lacked proper signatures.

The Centre had approached the apex court on October 22, just two days before the High Court's compliance deadline of October 24 expired. On September 26, the High Court had quashed the Delhi FRRO’s June 26 deportation order against the six individuals, who were detained on June 21. The bench found procedural lapses in the deportation process and noted that the question of citizenship for the detained individuals was still unresolved. It had also criticized the authorities for their “overenthusiasm” in deporting the detainees, noting that such haste "disturbs the judicial climate in the country."