A court in Maharashtra`s Thane has convicted a Bangladeshi woman for staying in India even after the expiry of her visa and ordered her deportation, reported news agency PTI.
A copy of the order of November 11 by Additional Sessions Judge G T Pawar was made available on Friday.
Sobironbegum Wahab Kha, alias Ratana Sinha, was arrested by the Navghar police in August 2023. Additional Public Prosecutor Manisha N Pawse proved in the court that her visa had expired in 2018, reported PTI.
While the defence argued that she had acquired Indian citizenship through marriage, the Thane court rejected the claim, citing the “burden of proof” under the Foreigners Act.
“…She failed to produce any material on record to show that she married an Indian citizen and accordingly acquired Indian citizenship. Neither the marriage certificate nor any other document is produced on record,” the Thane court said, reported PTI.
The judge sentenced her to 2 years, 2 months, and 18 days of simple imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 2,000. Since the woman has already spent that time in jail, the court ordered her immediate deportation, reported PTI.
The court asked the authorities to return the woman`s passport to her to facilitate the deportation process.
Kin awarded Rs 2.8 lakh, 29 years after man on bullock cart died in road accident
In another case, a Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) in Maharashtra`s Thane district has awarded a compensation of Rs 2.8 lakh to the family of a 66-year-old man killed in a road accident over 29 years ago, reported PTI.
A copy of the order dated November 6 by MACT Member P R Ashturkar was made available on Thursday.
Victim Bhau Valku Gaikar died on April 16, 1996, after a speeding dumper crashed into his bullock cart in the Ulhasnagar area, reported PTI.
While the tribunal held that the fatal accident occurred due to the negligence on the part of the dumper driver, it pulled up the victim`s family for not disclosing that the original claimant, Ramabai Bhau Gaikar, died in 2005.
The applicants did not even bother to inform that Ramabai had died, it said.
“Due to this negligence, the compensation will attract interest at the rate of 6 per cent per annum only from the date of the judgment (November 6, 2025), instead of the date of the original application in 2001,” the tribunal said, reported PTI.
Advocates Pramod Patil, V B Patil and Arvind Tiwari represented the applicants, the dumper owner and the insurer, respectively.
(With inputs from PTI)
