Tue Jun 24 16:23:15 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary and a news article based on the provided text:
**Summary:**
The Supreme Court of India has stayed the deportation of a woman, Jaynab Bibi, declared a foreigner by a Foreigners Tribunal and the Gauhati High Court. Ms. Bibi claims her family has lived in Assam for generations and possesses documents, including entries in the 1951 NRC and subsequent voter lists, to prove her Indian citizenship. Her lawyers argued that the Tribunal’s decision was arbitrary and that the authorities failed to provide sufficient evidence to support their suspicion about her nationality. The court referenced a previous ruling highlighting the issue of randomly suspecting Assam residents as foreigners without cogent evidence. The case is scheduled for further hearing in August, with the Union government required to respond.
**News Article:**
**Supreme Court Halts Deportation of Assam Woman Declared ‘Foreigner’**
**New Delhi, June 24, 2025** – The Supreme Court of India today stayed the deportation of Jaynab Bibi, an Assam resident declared a foreigner by a Foreigners Tribunal and the Gauhati High Court. A bench comprising Justices K.V. Viswanathan and N. Kotiswar Singh ordered the Union government to refrain from taking any coercive action against Ms. Bibi.
Ms. Bibi contends that she is a citizen by birth, raised in Muamari village, Nagaon district, Assam, and possesses substantial documentation proving her Indian nationality. Her legal team, led by advocates Fuzail Ahmad Ayyubi and Akansha Rai, argued that the Foreigners Tribunal’s decision was “arbitrary and mechanical.”
The lawyers highlighted that Ms. Bibi’s grandfather was listed in the 1951 National Register of Citizens (NRC), while her parents and she herself appear in subsequent voter lists dating back to 1965. Despite this, she was declared an “illegal immigrant.” The court was also informed that the Tribunal and High Court failed to consider certificates issued by the local Gram Panchayat verifying her lineage.
The advocates referred to a 2024 Supreme Court judgment criticizing the “clandestine manner” in which individuals in Assam were being randomly suspected of being foreigners without adequate evidence. The court stressed that the burden of proof rests with the authorities to substantiate their suspicions, not simply relying on conjecture.
The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Union government, seeking its response. The case is scheduled for further hearing on August 25, 2025. This ruling brings renewed attention to the sensitive issue of citizenship verification in Assam and the potential for arbitrary decisions affecting long-term residents.
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