An Assam woman, Mumtaz Begum, was allegedly deported to Bangladesh even though the Gauhati High Court had recently set aside an earlier Foreigners Tribunal order against her and directed a fresh examination of her citizenship case.

Begum, a 44-year-old Bengal-origin Muslim woman, had been declared a foreigner in 2019 after the tribunal held that she failed to establish her link with her father.

However, in April, the High Court found that the tribunal had not properly examined all the documentary evidence she had submitted and remanded the matter for fresh consideration.

When Begum appeared before the tribunal on May 30 in compliance with the High Court's direction, her lawyer alleged that the tribunal member immediately ordered her arrest without issuing a reasoned order.She was taken into police custody, moved to the Matia detention centre, and later disappeared from detention.After her family filed a habeas corpus petition, the Assam government informed the High Court that Begum had already been pushed into Bangladesh.

Senior advocates criticised the tribunal's actions, arguing that it had no authority to order her arrest while her citizenship status remained under fresh consideration.Begum's case dates back to 1997, when she was marked as a doubtful voter.Over nearly three decades, her citizenship status has changed multiple times through tribunal and court proceedings.

The High Court had also observed that the tribunal had failed to properly evaluate important documentary evidence relating to her family's residence in Assam before the 1971 citizenship cut-off date and had suggested periodic training for tribunal members.The matter continues before the Gauhati High Court.