Chennai: In a reprieve for 28 Bangladesh nationals, who were sentenced to two years imprisonment for entering India illegally, Madras high court modified their sentence to the jail term already undergone and directed authorities to deport them to their country within three weeks.“They shall be released from judicial custody. They shall, however, be detained in camps meant for such purposes, and after compliance with relevant provisions, the authorities concerned may initiate action for their deportation,” Justice Sunder Mohan said.The court passed the order on an appeal moved by Mohamed Salim and 27 others who were convicted and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment by the II additional district sessions court, Tirupur, for illegally entering India and working in a textile company without a valid permit.The trial court convicted them based on testimonies of four witnesses and 30 exhibits produced by the prosecution. The accused neither examined any witness nor marked any document on their side. The trial court found that the prosecution established that all the accused are Bangladeshis and did not have valid documents to travel to India, and found them guilty under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act.The 28 moved an appeal challenging the trial court order. They submitted that since they were in custody since Jan 2025, the period of incarceration undergone by them was sufficient punishment for the offences and sought a reduction of sentence.The court noted that the families of all the appellants are living in Bangladesh, and the accused already underwent 12 months of imprisonment. “This court is of the view that the ends of justice would be met if the appellants were sentenced to period of imprisonment already undergone for the offence under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act,” the court said.
