No entry for Bangladeshi wife to India: HC upholds ban over fraudulent documents

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday upheld the decision of immigration authorities to refuse entry into India to the Bangladeshi wife of an Indian citizen, holding that the authorities were right to do so because she had obtained Indian documents by fraudulent means. Justice Krishna Rao dismissed the husband's petition seeking a direction to allow her to enter India and join him. The court was hearing a plea filed by Prodip Bose, an Indian citizen, who had made a representation on September 5 seeking permission for his wife, Bangladeshi national Srabanti Chowdhury, and their minor son to enter India.

His lawyer argued that the immigration authorities had refused her entry without assigning any reason and that the representation had not been considered. The court noted that after her marriage, Chowdhury used to visit India on a multiple-entry X-I visa as the spouse of an Indian national. Her last visa was granted on September 25, 2025, and was valid till September 24 this year. The woman had gone to Bangladesh in April 2026 and, while returning to India, was refused entry for immigration reasons on August 23.

Bose's lawyer told the court that she sometimes stays in India and sometimes in Bangladesh. In a report filed before the court, the Foreigners' Registration Office said that Chowdhury is a Bangladeshi national holding a passport valid till September 7, 2027. The authorities said that despite being a Bangladeshi citizen, she had obtained Indian documents such as a voter card and PAN card "by way of fraudulent means". They said that, in view of this, her entry into India was not allowed.

The authorities' lawyer also told the court that the entry of a person into India can be restricted under the provisions of the Immigration and Foreigners' Act, 2025. Dismissing the petition, the court held that Chowdhury's entry into India had been "rightly refused" by the immigration authorities, bringing an end to Bose's plea to secure permission for her return.- Ends