Friday, December 13, 2019

Court says Aadhaar is not citizenship proof, convicts Bangla woman
Rebecca.Samervel@timesgroup.com

Mumbai:13.12.2019

Iterating that Aadhaar card is not proof of citizenship, a magistrate court recently convicted and sentenced a 35-year-old woman to oneyear imprisonment for illegally entering and living in the country.

The Dahisar (East) resident, Jyoti Gazi alias Tasleema Robiul, was convicted under the Passport (Entry into India) Rules and the Foreigners Order. “It is pertinent to note that the PAN card, Aadhaar card or sale deed are not the documents sufficiently proving the nationality of any person. To establish one’s citizenship, normally one is required to give evidence of his date of birth, place of birth, name of his parents, their place of birth and citizenship. Sometimes, the place of birth of grandparents may also be relevant,” the magistrate court said.

The court said in such cases, the burden of proof is on the accused to prove that she is not a foreigner.

While Robiul claimed she was a West Bengal native who came to the city 15 years ago, the magistrate court observed it has been proved that she is a Bangladeshi citizen and had entered India without a valid passport and travel documents. It refused to grant leniency to Robiul on the grounds that she was a woman.

“To my mind, if such leniency is given, the same may prove dangerous to the national security and even to the legitimate rights of Indian citizens as because of such unauthorized entries, the foreigners can give taxation on the economy of India,” the court said. The court directed the prosecution to take deportation action against Robiul after she undergoes the sentence. Robiul was booked with 16 others in 2009. They “absconded” though and only she was tried.

Full report on www.toi.in

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