Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Oct 13 reduced the three-year prison sentence of a Bangladeshi woman convicted under the Foreigners Act to the 1.5 years she has already served, directing her immediate release and repatriation to Bangladesh.
Justice Jay Sengupta, while upholding the conviction of Tanushree Sarkar alias Putul, observed, “It appears that the appellant has already undergone 1.5 years in custody out of a total period of sentence of imprisonment of 3 years. A Bongaon court had sentenced Sarkar to three years’ imprisonment and fined her Rs 6,000 in Sept 2025 under Section 14A(b) of the Foreigners Act, 1946. Her counsel argued that she was a minor when arrested, citing her Bangladeshi passport, which recorded her date of birth as Dec 30, 2007.
Though she had pleaded guilty during trial, the court was not told of her claim of juvenility then. No purpose will be served in keeping the appellant in custody for a longer period. The high court directed that her passport be handed over through the correctional home superintendent upon her release to facilitate repatriation.