Karnataka High Court Stays Deportation of Alleged Bangladeshi National

The Karnataka High Court on Monday stayed a deportation order issued by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office in Bengaluru against a man detained as an alleged Bangladeshi national after he claimed that he was an Indian citizen by birth and a victim of mistaken identity. The court intervened while hearing a petition filed by Abdul Rahim, who challenged the authorities’ move to deport him from India.

Justice Suraj Govindaraj also directed the FRRO to verify Rahim’s identity before taking further action in the matter. The court noted that the petitioner claimed to be the same person who had earlier been convicted by a sessions court in Uttar Pradesh in a case involving allegations of illegal entry into India from Bangladesh. That conviction is currently under appeal before the Allahabad High Court.

Rahim stated in his petition that he was born on April 14, 1979, at New Seemapuri in Delhi and had lived in India throughout his life. He maintained that he had worked and carried on business in the country and denied being a Bangladeshi national. His challenge before the Karnataka High Court centres on his claim that the deportation proceedings arose from an incorrect identification of his nationality.

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The case has raised questions over the need to establish a detained person’s identity and citizenship before carrying out deportation proceedings. Rahim has argued that he is an Indian citizen by birth, while the authorities have treated him as a foreign national liable to be removed from the country. The High Court’s interim order has temporarily prevented the deportation while the competing claims are examined.

The court’s direction to the FRRO requires the agency to verify whether the detained man is indeed the person connected to the Uttar Pradesh criminal case and to examine his identity claims. The pending appeal before the Allahabad High Court also forms part of the legal background to the dispute, as the earlier conviction involving allegations of illegal entry has not yet reached finality.

With the deportation order stayed, Rahim cannot be removed from India while the matter remains under consideration in accordance with the court’s directions. The case is expected to focus on documentary records and other evidence concerning his birthplace, identity and nationality. The Karnataka High Court’s intervention has ensured that these issues are examined before any further action is taken towards deportation.

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