Shabnam Khatun Vs State of NCT of Delhi & Ors. — Delhi HC (2025) — LawSathi Research

Shabnam Khatun Vs State of NCT of Delhi & Ors. — Delhi HC (2025) — LawSathi Research

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

Petition dismissed as withdrawn; petitioner permitted to withdraw with liberty to file a fresh petition, including the prayers raised in the present petition, before an appropriate forum in accordance with law.

Issue for consideration

Whether the petitioner may be permitted to withdraw the present petition with liberty to file a fresh petition, including the prayers raised therein, before an appropriate forum. +1 more

Court's answer

This Court granted permission to withdraw the petition and liberty to file an appropriate petition before the appropriate forum, in accordance with law.

Ratio / Principle

The writ petition W.P.(CRL) 1931/2025 was dismissed as withdrawn.

Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

High Court of Delhi, Bench of Vivek Chaudhary, J. and Shalinder Kaur, J., Order dated 21.08.2025 in W.P.(CRL) 1931/2025 (with CRL.M.A. 19234/2025), Shabnam Khatun v. State of NCT of Delhi & Ors.: The petition concerned action against the petitioner's husband in a police special drive initiated against Bangladeshi migrants residing illegally in Delhi. Pursuant to the Court's order dated 18.07.2025, the ACP filed an additional affidavit recording that, on the basis of secret information, the husband was taken to Police Station Shalimar Bagh on 25.06.2025 for identity verification; the Standing Counsel (Sanjay Lao) submitted that he was neither detained nor arrested and was allowed to leave on 26.06.2025 to arrange documents proving Indian citizenship; verification of a West Bengal Gram Panchayat letter showed his father was neither a resident of the named village nor held title deeds there. In view of these submissions and the status report, the petitioner's counsel sought withdrawal with liberty; the Court granted permission and liberty to file a fresh petition including the same prayers before the appropriate forum in accordance with law, and dismissed the petition as withdrawn. No substantive adjudication on arrest/detention occurred.

$~9

IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI

- W.P.(CRL) 1931/2025, CRL.M.A. 19234/2025

SHABNAM KHATUN .....Petitioner Through: Mr. Sharak Jain and Ms. Rekha Jain, Advs.

versus

STATE OF NCT OF DELHI & ORS. .....Respondents Through: Mr. Sanjay Lao, Standing Counsel (Crl.).

CORAM:

HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE VIVEK CHAUDHARY HON'BLE MS. JUSTICE SHALINDER KAUR

O R D E R

% 21.08.2025

Pursuant to the Order dated 18.07.2025, an additional affidavit has been filed by the ACP, wherein it is stated that the special drive was initiated against Bangladeshi Migrants residing illegally in various parts of Delhi. On the basis of secret information about such persons, the husband of the petitioner along with other suspects was taken to Police Station Shalimar Bagh on 25.06.2025 at 06:52 PM for verification of their identities. They were also asked to produce their valid documents/ID proofs.

On the same day, the petitioner visited the Police Station and submitted his Aadhar card and Voter ID card, however, she failed to produce valid identification documents relating to her father-in-law.

The learned Standing Counsel submits that the husband of the petitioner was neither detained nor arrested by the Police in the Police Station and on 26.06.2025, he was asked to leave the Police Station to arrange documents in order to prove his Indian citizenship. He has

This is a digitally signed order.

The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 23/08/2025 at 12:19:29

produced his Aadhar Card and Voter ID Card however, failed to produce any valid documents with respect to permanent address of his father.

On 26.06.2025, he had only produced a letter allegedly issued by the Gram Panchayat Horekhati of Village Gourangapur, PO Tajnagar, PS Sutahata, Distt. Purba Mednipur, West Bengal, which, on verification from the said Village, revelaed that the father of the husband of the petitioner was neither a resident of that village nor he is in possession of title deeds in his name of any land in the said village.

The learned Standing Counsel reiterated that during the verification proceedings, the husband of the petitioner was not arrested or detained in the Police Station Shalimar Bagh.

In view of the submissions made by the learned Standing Counsel and the status report filed on record, the learned counsel for the petitioner seeks permission to withdraw the present petition with liberty to file a fresh petition including the prayers as raised in the present petition before an appropriate Forum.

Permission and liberty to file appropriate petition before the appropriate Forum, in accordance with law, is granted.

The petition is, accordingly, dismissed as withdrawn.

VIVEK CHAUDHARY, J

SHALINDER KAUR, J

AUGUST 21, 2025 /ss/frk

This is a digitally signed order.

The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 23/08/2025 at 12:19:29