Navi Mumbai court convicts two Bangladeshi nationals for illegal stay in India
Forgery charge rejected; court orders deportation after sentencing
A court in Maharashtra’s Navi Mumbai has convicted two Bangladeshi nationals for entering and staying in India without valid passports.
In an order dated December 11, a copy of which was made available on Tuesday, Additional Sessions Judge (Belapur) C V Marathe, however, rejected the prosecution’s allegation that the accused had forged identity documents.
During the trial, Additional Public Prosecutor Sandhya Mhatre told the court that Haidar Ali Ashraf Ali (29) and Fatima Gofar Shaikh (34) were arrested in January this year from Koprigaon in Sector 26 for residing in India without valid travel documents or legal permits. Ali was also accused of producing a forged Aadhaar card during the investigation.
The court held that the two had violated Rule 5 of the Passport (Entry into India) Rules, 1950, by residing in the country without valid documents.
While the prosecution argued that the illegal stay of foreign nationals poses “potential threats to the safety and security of our nation,” the defence contended that the accused were “poor and illiterate” and had entered India solely for livelihood, without any ill intention.
“It is not the prosecution’s case that the accused persons were involved in any anti-social activities after entering India without valid passports. They have no criminal antecedents,” the court observed.
The court sentenced both convicts to 11 months’ imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹500 each. As they had already been in custody since January 14, 2025, a period of 10 months and 27 days; the court granted them a set-off for the time already served.
The court also directed the Navi Mumbai police commissioner to initiate steps for their deportation to Bangladesh through the Bangladesh Embassy.
