Assam: Declared a 'Foreigner', Woman Gets Citizenship After Gauhati HC Intervenes

GUWAHATI: The Gauhati High Court has assisted a tribal woman from Assam to regain her Indian citizenship after she was declared a "foreigner ex parte" due to missing court dates set by the tribunal court in Silchar district in 2017.

On September 19, 2017, Foreigners Tribunal 6 declared Sefali Rani Das, a 23-year-old woman from Mohankhal village of Sonai in Cachar district, a foreigner ex parte (without her being present).

Das had submitted an appeal before the High Court on July 2021, arguing that she had not been well-versed in legal provisions and so had missed court dates set by the tribunal to instate her citizenship.

The Gauhati HC then gave her another chance to prove citizenship before the tribunal this year, stating that "citizenship" was a "very important right of a person", which "should ordinarily be decided on merit rather than by way of default as has happened in the present case."

Last Tuesday, her citizenship was re-instated by the Silchar court on the basis of "cogent, reliable and admissible evidence" submitted by her.