The Calcutta High Court has declared the decision to send pregnant Sonali Bibi of Birbhum to Bangladesh along with her husband and child illegal. On Friday, a division bench of Justices Tapobrata Chakraborty and Ritabrata Kumar Mitra said that Sonali and her family should be brought back to India immediately. The court has ordered the Centre to send them back to their country within four weeks. The bench rejected the plea by the central government to stay the order.

Incidentally, Sonali Bibi is a resident of Paikar in Birbhum district. For the past few years, she had been living in Rohini, Delhi with her husband Danish Sheikh and eight-year-old son. Sonali used to support her family by working as a paper collector and maid. The family claims that on June 18, the police of Delhi Police's KN Katju Marg police station suddenly arrested them on suspicion of being Bangladeshis. Later, five people including Sonali were sent to Bangladesh across the border. Allegedly, the police there also arrested them from Chapainawabganj. In this incident, Sonali's father filed a habeas corpus case in the Calcutta High Court. The lawyer presented the land records, voter cards of her father and grandfather, and the birth certificates of Sonali's children as proof of Sonali's Indian identity in the court. Overall, the court ruled that sending them to Bangladesh was an illegal step.

The Delhi Police argued that there was doubt about Sonali's citizenship. According to them, the case should be heard in Delhi, because the main parties to the case, the Delhi Police, the Union Home Ministry, and the Foreign Regional Registration Office, are located in Delhi. However, the Calcutta High Court did not accept this.

Sonali is currently nine months pregnant. As a result, her family was even more worried that if the child is born in Bangladesh, there will be complications regarding citizenship. After the High Court's order, the family has now gained some relief. Sonali's father said emotionally, "Thank you to the Calcutta High Court. The daughter is from Birbhum, not Bangladeshi. The Delhi Police made a mistake."

West Bengal Migrant Welfare Association Chairman and Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam said that they are standing by Sonali on the orders of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. According to him, the High Court has done justice. They will be provided with all the assistance they need after returning to the country. As a result of this court verdict, it has been confirmed for the time being that pregnant Sonali Bibi and her family will be brought back to India soon.