Tripura HC Waives Remaining Jail Terms of Four Bangladeshi Nationals, Orders Repatriation

The Tripura High Court has modified the sentences of four Bangladeshi nationals convicted in separate cases of illegal entry into India and directed the State authorities to facilitate their repatriation to Bangladesh. A single Bench of Justice Dr. T. Amarnath Goud passed the orders while disposing of three criminal appeals.

The decision followed a communication from the Tripura Home Department stating that the State Government had no objection to the convicted persons being sent back to Bangladesh instead of continuing their imprisonment.In Criminal Appeal No. 48 of 2026, Ratilal Das and his wife, Binita Rani Das, both residents of Moulvibazar district of Bangladesh, challenged their conviction by the Sessions Judge, Unakoti, Kailashahar.

According to the prosecution, a BSF patrol intercepted 16 persons near Srirampur Manu Bridge on February 27, 2025, including 13 Bangladeshi nationals and three Indian nationals allegedly acting as touts. The two appellants were alleged to have admitted entering India without valid passports or other documents.They were convicted under Section 3 of the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920, read with Rule 6 of the Passport Rules, 1950, and Section 14A(b) of the Foreigners Act, 1946. They had been sentenced to two years’ rigorous imprisonment along with fines.Their counsel submitted that they had already spent considerable time in custody, had disclosed their identities and had pleaded guilty. A request was therefore made for reduction of their sentences and repatriation to Bangladesh.

The other two appeals, Criminal Appeal Nos. 49 and 50 of 2026, concerned Lija and Mansura Aktar, also Bangladeshi nationals. They had been convicted in Dhalai district after being detained at Ambassa railway station in October 2024 and allegedly admitting that they had entered India without valid passports or visas.During the hearing, the High Court sought the State’s position on their deportation. The Public Prosecutor produced a communication dated September 17 from the Tripura Home Department confirming that the Government had no objection to the four persons being repatriated to Bangladesh.The Court also took note of the fact that there were no criminal antecedents against the appellants and that the cases represented their first offences.

Considering these circumstances and the State’s position, the Court modified the sentences.The High Court reduced the sentences of all four appellants to the period already undergone in custody, thereby waiving the remaining imprisonment. The State authorities were directed to take necessary steps for their repatriation to Bangladesh in accordance with law and the prescribed procedure.Until their repatriation, the appellants were directed to remain in jail custody, although the Court ordered that they would not be treated as convicts during this period.