Mamata Banerjee reposes faith in judiciary after SC questions detention of Bengali migrant workers

Kolkata, Aug 29 West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Friday, reposed her faith in judiciary after the Supreme Court questioned the detention of migrant workers from the state and their deportation to Bangladesh.

Taking to her official social media X account, the Chief Minister said that the apex court's recognition of West Bengal's unique context gives hope to countless Bengali-speaking people across the country.

"Today (August 29, 2025), the Supreme Court heard a PIL on the detention of migrant workers from Bengal. The Apex Court acknowledged Bengal's historic role as a border State - a land that has given refuge, strength, and culture through generations. A direction has been issued to hear the plea of the migrant workers on priority in the High Court -- this comes as a huge relief to the detained workers," Chief Minister Banerjee noted.

The Supreme Court, on Friday, questioned the practice of presuming Bengali-speaking persons as undocumented Bangladeshi immigrants, stressing that language alone cannot be a basis for treating someone to be a foreigner in the country.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant, Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi was hearing a plea filed by the West Bengal Migrant Workers Welfare Board, which alleged arbitrary detention and deportation of Bengali-speaking individuals under the pretext of identifying them as Bangladeshi nationals.

The plea underscored the plight of migrant workers, many of whom, it contends, have been deprived of liberty without proper verification of their citizenship status.

Following the development, CM Banerjee said, "The recognition of Bengal's unique context gives hope to countless Bengali-speaking workers across our motherland, whose labour and sacrifice strengthen families across India. I stand firmly by them. We repose full faith in the judiciary to ensure dignity, fairness, and constitutional justice for every worker from Bengal."

While hearing the petition, the Supreme Court pressed the Union government to clarify whether linguistic identity -- specifically speaking Bengali -- was being treated as prima facie evidence of foreign origin.

The apex court voiced unease at reports that individuals, including a pregnant woman, were allegedly deported merely because they conversed in Bengali, without judicial determination of their nationality.

It observed that the porous nature of borders in the region, coupled with shared heritage and language, requires a more nuanced approach than blanket suspicion.

The court directed the Union government to file a reply within a week and clarified that the habeas corpus petitions pending before the concerned High Court, particularly the one involving the pregnant woman referenced in arguments, be adjudicated expeditiously.

It scheduled the matter for further hearing on September 11.

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