From Despair to Dignity: How CJP helped Elachan Bibi win back her identity, prove her citizenship With CJP’s steadfast legal aid, 65-year-old Elachan Bibi of Bongaigaon, is finally recognised as an Indian citizen

11, Nov 2025 | CJP Team

After years of fear, uncertainty, and bureaucratic struggle, Elachan Bibi, an elderly Bengali-speaking Muslim woman from Assam’s Bongaigaon district, has finally been declared an Indian citizen by birth. The declaration came through a reasoned order by Foreigners’ Tribunal No. 1, Bongaigaon on September 22, 2025, bringing relief and dignity to a woman who had lived for years under the shadow of statelessness.

This victory is not hers alone. It also marks another milestone for Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), whose tireless legal and paralegal intervention ensured that truth and justice prevailed in yet another wrongful citizenship case in Assam.

Every week, CJP’s dedicated team in Assam, comprising community volunteers, district volunteer motivators, and lawyers, provides vital paralegal support, counseling, and legal aid to many affected by the citizenship crisis in over 24 districts in Assam.  Through our hands-on approach, 12,00,000 people successfully submitted completed NRC forms (2017-2019). We fight Foreigner Tribunal cases monthly at the district level.  Through these concerted efforts, we have achieved an impressive success rate of 20 cases annually, with individuals successfully obtaining their Indian citizenship. This ground level data ensures informed interventions by CJP in our Constitutional Courts. Your support fuels this crucial work. Stand with us for Equal Rights for All #HelpCJPHelpAssam. Donate NOW!

A life marked by loss and resilience

Born around 1960 in Salmara Gaon (Lungjhar) under the then Bijni Police Station (now Manikpur, Bongaigaon district), Elachan’s early years were spent in the quiet rhythm of rural life — until devastating floods washed away her family home. The loss of land and livelihood was followed decades later by a far deeper assault — a notice from the Foreigners’ Tribunal alleging that she was a foreigner who had entered Assam from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) after March 25, 1971.

For Elachan, the accusation struck at her very identity. She was the daughter of Taleb Ali (also known as Taleb Ali Sheikh/Talef Ali) and Koriman Bibi, both Indian citizens whose names appeared in the 1951 National Register of Citizens (NRC) and in voter lists from 1966 and 1971 — years long before the 1971 cut-off for citizenship determination in Assam.

Her marriage to Khabaruddin Sk, a cultivator from Barbakhara village, in 1973 had further anchored her life in Assam. Yet, bureaucratic suspicion would turn her old age into a battle for belonging.

CJP’s Intervention: Building the case, brick by brick

When the notice arrived, Elachan turned to CJP — one of the few organisations providing sustained legal support to those wrongfully accused of being foreigners in Assam. CJP’s Assam State in charge, Nanda Ghosh, and Advocate Dewan Abdur Rahim of the CJP legal team took charge of her defence. With the assistance of paralegals and field volunteers, they meticulously reconstructed her documentary trail — a painstaking process that involved retrieving old records, verifying spellings, and establishing the crucial linkage between generations that so often determines the outcome in citizenship cases.

Before the Tribunal, CJP submitted sixteen documents proving Elachan’s Indian lineage and continuous residence in Assam, including:

• 1951 NRC entry of her father, Taleb Ali;
• Voter lists of 1966, 1971, 1985, 1989, 1997, 2006, 2015, 2020, 2022, and 2023, showing her family’s continuous presence in Assam;
• Jamabandi (land records) under Patta No. 63 in her father’s name at Lungjhar;
• Gaon Panchayat certificates establishing her birth and marriage details;
• PAN card, EPIC (Voter ID), and Ration Card, corroborating her civic and residential identity.

Five witnesses deposed in her support, including her brother Kashem Ali, GP Secretary Mrinendra Sarma, a Revenue Circle officer, and her husband. Each testimony consistently reinforced her claim of being the biological daughter of Indian citizens Taleb Ali and Koriman Bibi.

Elachan Bibi with her husband, holding up the Foreigners’ Tribunal Order

Tribunal’s Findings: Citizenship proven beyond doubt

The Tribunal, presided over by Member Shri Dulal Saha, examined the evidence and accepted that Elachan had discharged her burden of proof under Section 9 of the Foreigners Act, 1946.

Relying on the 1966 and 1971 voter lists and corroborative oral evidence, the Tribunal observed:

“From the above,..what is discernible is that, O/P successfully establishes the fact that she is the daughter of Taleb Ali. Hence issue No. (ii) is decided in favour of the O/P.”

On the other hand, Ext-A and Ext-B which are the voter lists of 1966 under 41 No. Bijni L.A.C. and 1971 under 34 No. Abhayapuri North L.A.C., where the name of Talefali and Kariman Bibi have been recorded as voters. Hence these two voter lists establishes the existence of Talefali and Kariman Bibi, whom the O/P claim to be her parents, on the Indian Soil, since before 1.1.1966. Hence issue No.(i) is also decided in favour of the O/P.”

The Tribunal further noted that Elachan’s documents had been duly authenticated — including verification of her PAN Card by the Income Tax Department — and that the testimonies of local officials confirmed the genuineness of her records.

Accordingly, on September 22, 2025, the Tribunal declared that Elachan Bibi is not a foreigner but a citizen of India by birth, directing the Superintendent of Police (Border) and District Commissioner, Bongaigaon, to take note of the finding.

Tears of relief and a moment of grace

On November 8, 2025, CJP’s Nanda Ghosh and Advocate Dewan Abdur Rahim visited Elachan’s modest home in Barbakhara village to hand over the certified copy of the judgment. Holding the document that restored her citizenship, Elachan broke into tears of relief. Her husband stood beside her, expressing gratitude to CJP’s team for “standing with the poor when no one else would.”

“The State tried to take away her citizenship after floods took away her home. Today, justice has given her both back,” said Nanda Ghosh, CJP’s Assam State in charge. “Every such verdict is not just about one person — it’s a victory for the Constitution and for every marginalised Indian whose identity has been questioned, ” Ghosh further said.

Elachan Bibi and her husband with CJP Assam team outside her home

CJP’s continuing struggle for justice

The case of Elachan Bibi adds to the growing list of CJP-assisted victories in Assam, where hundreds of poor and marginalised persons have been declared Indian after years of legal struggle. CJP’s paralegal network continues to work across the state, identifying victims of wrongful foreigner references, ensuring legal representation, and preserving crucial documentation in a landscape marked by bureaucratic hostility and fear.

Elachan’s victory is not just a personal triumph. It is a reminder that in the face of administrative error and systemic bias, truth, perseverance, and solidarity can still prevail.

The complete order may be read here.

 

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