Karnataka HC stays deportation of man accused of being undocumented Bangladeshi immigrant

The Karnataka High Court on Monday stayed a deportation order by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office in Bengaluru against a man accused of being an undocumented Bangladeshi migrant who has been in detention since March, The Indian Express reported.

The man, Abdul Rahim, claimed that he is an Indian citizen by birth and that the order was passed against him on account of mistaken identity.

Justice Suraj Govindaraj directed the Foreigners Regional Registration Office to verify Rahim’s identity, The Indian Express reported.

The judge noted that he claimed to be the same person who had been held guilty by an Uttar Pradesh court for allegedly entering the country without documents from Bangladesh, and that an appeal against the conviction is pending in the Allahabad High Court.

Govindaraj told the Foreigners Regional Registration Office to check whether Rahim’s claims about the case in Uttar Pradesh are correct. The court listed the matter for further hearing on July 14 and directed the authorities not to deport him till then.

Rahim was detained on March 5 by the Bengaluru Police during a drive to identify alleged undocumented Bangladeshi immigrants, and handed over to the FRRO, The Indian Express reported.

On the same day, the Foreigners Regional Registration Office passed an order under the Foreigners Act, directing that he be sent to the Utile...

Read more