Pre-1971 settlers bonafide citizens: Indian court

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, reports the Times of India (ToI) . The ToI report said 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 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 enroll them in the voters list before India’s next elections. 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.