An Indian HC issues notice to Bangladesh, Saudi seeking information on foreign youth
The division bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court issued a notice to Bangladesh and the Saudi Arabian embassies on 3 July seeking information about a youth who entered India illegally.
The notice comes as the youth filed a petition accusing the Indian police and administration of illegally keeping him in the detention centre, reports ANI News.
Alamkki was arrested by the Padav police station in Gwalior on 21 September 2014. He was sentenced to three years imprisonment on 22 August 2015 for illegal entry. When his sentence was completed on 22 September 2017 he was kept in Central Jail in Gwalior for nine months.
On 12 June 2018 he fled to Hyderabad by giving a slip to the security personnel. The police finally arrested him on 23 June 2018.
Additional Advocate General Rajesh Shukla told ANI, "A person entered India as a Rohingya and he came to Gwalior about 5-6 years ago. When he came under suspicion, the police arrested him and asked about his citizenship and for documents. He did not have any. So a case was registered against him. After his trial, he was sentenced to three years imprisonment.
"After serving his sentence, no one came forward. Then since the sentence had been completed, he could not be kept in jail. So a temporary detention centre was created for him, which is as per the guidelines of the Central Government."
In the second case, Alamkki was sentenced to a term of three years in 2021, following which Alamkki was kept in a detention centre. During his stay there, he filed a habeas corpus petition in the Gwalior High Court, accusing the administration and police of illegally keeping him in the detention centre.
"When he was kept in the detention centre, he escaped from there as well. After that, a case was registered again and then the case went on and he was sentenced to three years. He completed his sentence. After that, on its basis, a petition was filed before the High Court that he should be kept in the detention centre and not in jail," the Additional advocate general said.
"We had earlier issued notices to the Central Government and we replied there that we are not treating him as an accused and he is in detention here. He is kept in a cell in the Central Jail because of security reasons since his citizenship has not been ascertained," Shukla added. Alamkki had earlier described himself as a Bangladeshi but later he said that he was a native of Saudi Arabia. To ascertain the truth, the court has issued a notice to the embassies of both countries and sought information related to Alamkki's native place.
The next hearing of the case will now be after four weeks. Ahmed Alamkki tried to buy a SIM card using a Bangladeshi passport during which the police nabbed him. Alamkki was found carrying a Bangladeshi passport and a driver's license from Saudi Arabia. Following this, the police filed a case against him under the Passport Act for intrusion and presented him in court, Shukla said.
"When the case was registered, during the police interrogation, his passport through which he had entered via Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh was also found to be false. He does not have any documents from there either," the Additional Advocate General said.
The Additional Advocate General said that after the reply of the Central Government and the State Government, the court has now said that the accused should speak about his connection with Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh and notices should be issued to the embassies of both countries.
"After they explain that he is a citizen of their country, Alamkki should be sent there," he said.