On 2nd June 2025, the Supreme Court of India issued a notice on a habeas corpus petition filed against the Assam government. The petition alleged the ‘illegal’ detention and deportation of a Bangladeshi woman, Monowara Bewa, who had been granted bail since 12th December 2019. The legal action was initiated by her son, who challenged the government's handling of the case and demanded accountability.

After reviewing the petition, a bench comprising Justices Sanjay Karol and Satish Chandra Sharma issued formal notice to the concerned respondents. The case was presented by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who represented the petitioner. Sibal alleged a serious violation of law, stating that a Superintendent of Police had ‘thrown’ the woman out of India, in complete disregard of an existing court order.

According to Sibal, this deportation was executed despite a civil appeal pending in the Supreme Court since 2017, which challenges the Gauhati High Court’s decision upholding Monowara’s declaration as a foreigner by the Foreigners’ Tribunal. Sibal insisted that the woman should not have been deported while the appeal was still awaiting a decision from the top court.

When the court suggested that the current habeas corpus plea could be tagged along with the ongoing appeal, Sibal responded sharply, stating:
“But in the meantime, she is gone. She’s been thrown out. She’s been sent to Bangladesh,”
highlighting that the state had already acted, allegedly without waiting for a legal conclusion.

To this, Justice Sharma remarked:
“[But] we can’t call her back…if she’s already not in the country…”
indicating that the court might be limited in offering a remedy if the deportation had already taken place.

The Gauhati High Court had previously affirmed the Foreigners’ Tribunal decision declaring Monowara Bewa a foreigner. That ruling was under challenge, but had not yet been resolved by the apex court. Sibal, however, presented a conflicting stance. While on one hand, he accused the SP of violating a court order and pushing the woman out of India, on the other hand, he admitted that there was no clear information on whether she had indeed been deported or still remained in the country.

In a passionate submission, Sibal pointed out the illegalities of the process and exclaimed:
“Your lordships know she has to be produced within 24 hours…not produced, sent straightaway, picked up from the house…directly in violation of this Court’s order in DK Basu…SP goes to the house, picks her up and throws her…how can that be!?”
This referred to the D.K. Basu vs. State of West Bengal guidelines, which mandate that any person taken into custody must be presented before a magistrate within 24 hours — a principle considered foundational in safeguarding civil liberties.

The petitioner has not only demanded the release of his mother, but has also sought several other directions from the Court:

• (i) A stay on any further “push back” or deportation of the detenue,

• (ii) An inquiry into the State of Assam’s arbitrary arrest and detention,

• (iii) A directive for the Union and Assam governments to initiate departmental proceedings and pay damages, as reported by LiveLaw.

According to the petitioner, Monowara Bewa was following all bail conditions. But on 24th May 2025, she was summoned by the police under the pretext of recording her statement. After reaching the police station, she was not released — an act that allegedly led to her forced removal.

The Supreme Court has listed this matter for further hearing next week, with expectations high over what direction the case will now take.

India’s Operation Push-back: A Strategic Crackdown on Illegal Immigrants Raises Eyebrows and Alarms

On Monday, 2nd June 2025, a significant development unfolded in the Supreme Court when it declined to entertain a petition that accused the Assam government of launching a “sweeping and indiscriminate drive” to deport suspected foreigners to Bangladesh. The petition was filed by the All BTC Minority Students Union (ABMSU), but the vacation bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Satish Chandra Sharma directed the petitioners to instead approach the Gauhati High Court for appropriate relief.

This comes at a time when India is actively pursuing what has come to be known as ‘Operation Push-back’, a high-intensity mission focused on detecting, detaining, and deporting illegal immigrants, especially those from Bangladesh and Myanmar. Between 24th and 25th May, Indian authorities deported over 172 illegal Bangladeshi immigrants through border points in Sylhet, Meherpur, and Moulvibazar. On Sunday morning, 19 Bangladeshi infiltrators were pushed back through Meherpur, where they were later taken to temporary shelters by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), and subsequently into police custody. These infiltrators had reportedly been residing illegally in Haryana.

A more substantial pushback occurred on 29th May, when about 160 illegal immigrants were flown from Delhi to Hindon Air Base and deported to Bangladesh. The same week, 29 Bangladeshi nationals, including women and children, were arrested in Haryana for living in India without valid documents.

This is not the first such action. On 14th May 2025, the Border Security Force (BSF) had already pushed back 16 Bangladeshi infiltrators, intensifying India’s efforts to cleanse its soil of unauthorised foreign presence. This aggressive stance has not gone unnoticed. It has clearly rattled Bangladeshi authorities, including the Border Guards Bangladesh, and most notably, the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.

For decades, India’s deportation of Bangladeshi infiltrators and Rohingyas was slow and legally cumbersome. The process involved court trials, which often stalled as Bangladesh refused to acknowledge its own citizens. The porous India-Bangladesh border and human smuggling networks made matters worse. According to 2016 data, over 2 crore Bangladeshis were estimated to be living illegally in India.

Now, following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina and the hostile posture of the Yunus-led interim government, diplomatic mechanisms have collapsed. India, under pressure, has turned to “Operation Push-back” as a swift alternative. The strategy is simple but firm: catch, transfer, deport — without delays caused by court procedures.

If the immigrants are detained near the eastern borders, they are immediately pushed back. Those found in distant cities are first flown to Tripura, Assam, or West Bengal, and then deported across the border. Several states like Rajasthan, Tripura, and Odisha are now speeding up efforts to identify and deport illegals.

Interestingly, the crackdown has been so effective that now some Bangladeshis are “voluntarily returning” to their home country. Since the launch of “Operation Sindoor” on 7th May — after the 22nd April Pakistan-backed Pahalgam terror attack — India has deported over 2,000 illegal immigrants.

But this operation hasn't been smooth. There are challenges from international laws, NGOs, and activist lawyers like Colin Gonsalves, who approached the Supreme Court seeking free schooling and healthcare for illegal Rohingya children in Delhi.

Yet, India’s mission continues. Even before “Operation Sindoor,” the Modi government had been targeting Bangladeshi and Rohingya illegals. In December 2024, 14 Bangladeshi illegals in Central Delhi and 8 more in South-West Delhi were deported. In 2021, several Rohingyas were deported from Jammu, including 170 detained for document checks and later jailed in Hiranagar.

In a broader sweep, over 400 households lost electricity and water connections in December 2024, and four Rohingyas were arrested in an eviction drive. That same month, Delhi Police busted a fake documentation racket and arrested 11 individuals, including Aadhaar forgers and tech experts.

In Chhattisgarh, Home Minister Vijay Sharma confirmed the deportation of 850 illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators. He added that 500 were from Bastar and 350 from Kawardha.

In other disturbing reports, Bangladeshi illegals were found involved in serious crimes. In August 2024, Delhi Police revealed that such immigrants were running an illegal organ transplant racket. On 25th January 2025, seven Bangladeshi nationals were caught overstaying in a Delhi hotel and later deported.

States in the Northeast have also not been spared. In May 2024, Manipur’s CM Biren Singh reported the identification of 5,457 illegal immigrants in Kamjong, of which 359 voluntarily returned to Myanmar. In total, 77 Myanmarese immigrants have been deported from Manipur since 8th March 2024.

In June 2024, OpIndia documented how fake Aadhaar and Voter ID rackets in Manipur helped infiltrators. Police arrested two Myanmar nationals in Churachandpur, and similar raids followed.

Going back to 2018, 10 people, including 9 illegal Muslim immigrants from Myanmar and an Indian woman named Paritha Begum, were arrested from border towns for running fake ID rackets. In May 2018, 98 illegals with fake Aadhaar cards were caught in Imphal.

More recently, in October 2021, 24 Burmese illegals with forged Aadhaar cards were caught by Assam Rifles in Tengnoupal, Manipur. A week before that, 11 Myanmar nationals were arrested at Imphal Airport, attempting to board a Delhi-bound flight using fake IDs.

In January 2025, three Rohingya Muslims, including two women, were caught at Sealdah railway station, Kolkata. Then, on 28th January, in a major operation, Jaipur Police detained 500 people, including 394 Rohingyas and Bangladeshis. Jaipur Police Commissioner Biju George Joseph said that this was a direct response to growing criminal activities and the need to identify illegal immigrants.

Kapil Sibal: The Go-To Lawyer in Cases That Undermine India's National Security

Kapil Sibal, a senior advocate of the Supreme Court and a prominent figure in the Congress party, has gained a reputation for consistently representing cases that align with ‘woke Liberal’ causes, especially those that raise serious questions about national security and communal sensitivity. His courtroom appearances in high-stakes and politically sensitive matters have drawn intense scrutiny from legal experts and citizens alike.

Sibal was the counsel for Shafin Jahan in the infamous Hadiya Love Jihad case, a case that sparked national outrage over alleged religious grooming and conversion. His role came under severe criticism as he not only defended the accused but also stood as a legal shield in what many saw as a systematic challenge to Hindu identity and religious harmony.

Adding to the controversy, Sibal took money from the Islamic terror outfit PFI—a group that has been banned in India due to its radical Islamist agenda and terror links. Despite its clear record of extremism, Sibal later sought the release of Siddique Kappan, a member of the banned PFI, who was arrested while allegedly trying to incite communal hatred under the guise of journalism.

Sibal’s legal advocacy has frequently positioned him at the centre of cases involving anti-Hindu violence and national unrest. He represented Umar Khalid, the alleged mastermind of the 2020 anti-Hindu Delhi Riots, in the Supreme Court. These riots led to massive destruction of property and lives in the capital and have since become a focal point of concern regarding urban Naxalism and radical propaganda.

Sibal did not stop there. He was also part of a group of Rajya Sabha MPs who moved an impeachment motion against an Allahabad High Court judge. The judge’s “offensive” action? He had called Islamic radicals “Kathmulla”, a term used to describe religious extremists. Sibal and the group considered it politically incorrect and moved to penalize the judge for speaking openly against Islamist extremism.

In another case that stirred nationalist sentiment, Kapil Sibal represented a pro-Pakistan leader in the Supreme Court, challenging the abrogation of Article 370, a move that had unified India by fully integrating Jammu and Kashmir into the Union. While the rest of the country hailed it as a bold and historic move, Sibal stood in court opposing it, further cementing his image as a lawyer defending separatist interests.

Earlier, Sibal had made an outrageous false claim that Assam was a part of Myanmar, a statement that deeply offended the people of Assam and insulted India's territorial sovereignty. This was not just a factual blunder but also a dangerous narrative that echoed separatist ideology.

He also stood up for the All India Muslim Personal Law Board in their attempt to challenge the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025. The Act was intended to bring transparency and accountability to Waqf property management, but Sibal’s defense placed him once again in opposition to reforms that aimed to reduce religious corruption and favoritism.

And now, after years of defending Islamists and repeatedly taking up anti-Hindu causes, Kapil Sibal is once again in the spotlight—this time representing the son of a Bangladeshi illegal immigrant in the Supreme Court. The very same individual whose mother was declared a foreigner by both the Foreigners’ Tribunal and the Gauhati High Court, and who was allegedly deported while her appeal was still pending.

Sibal’s legal portfolio speaks volumes. While many see him as a seasoned advocate with legal acumen, his pattern of defending radical Islamists, separatists, and anti-Hindu elements has positioned him as the preferred legal face for causes that challenge India’s internal security and social unity.