Calcutta High Court to Address Migrant Workers' Detention Cases

The Calcutta High Court is set to hear habeas corpus petitions about the alleged illegal detention of West Bengal's migrant workers in Odisha and Delhi. Some workers, including Sainur and Rakibul Islam, have returned home. The judiciary demands clarification from Odisha and West Bengal officials regarding these detentions.

The Calcutta High Court announced plans to hear petitions regarding the alleged unlawful detention of migrant workers from West Bengal in Odisha and Delhi on Wednesday. The court was informed that two workers, Sainur and Rakibul Islam, have since returned from Odisha.

Under the jurisdiction of Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty, the court scheduled the matter for July 16, including other similar cases involving West Bengal workers allegedly detained in Delhi. However, when the lawyer representing these workers claimed additional detentions in Odisha, the court, also featuring Justice Reetobroto Kumar Mitra, asked him to focus on the existing case.

Separate petitions by the families of the two workers alleged they were detained by Odisha Police in Jagatsinghpur. In a prior hearing on July 11, the court instructed the Odisha government to provide relevant documents on the workers' status. Meanwhile, the West Bengal chief secretary was tasked with coordinating with Odisha for compliance and presenting necessary documents at the next hearing. Regarding Delhi-based detentions, the court demanded clarification from the Delhi administration.

(With inputs from agencies.)