Bengaluru, July 29: The Karnataka High Court expressed strong discontent with the state police on Tuesday. This criticism arose after the police filed a First Information Report (FIR) against an individual who reported the presence of alleged illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. The court questioned how criminal proceedings could commence without verifying the informant’s status and directed authorities to act against illegal residents following established procedures.
The High Court particularly reprimanded the police in the Bellandur and Varthur areas of Bengaluru. The police had registered an FIR against Nagendra without conducting a preliminary investigation based on the complaint regarding the alleged illegal immigrants.
Reports indicate that Nagendra had informed the police about the suspected presence of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in the area. Subsequently, these immigrants filed a complaint against him, alleging assault.
Challenging the FIR filed against him, Nagendra approached the Karnataka High Court to have it quashed. This petition was brought before a bench led by Justice M. Nagaprasanna.
Expressing strong disapproval of the police’s approach, the High Court questioned how an FIR could be filed solely based on complaints from individuals who had stated in their own complaints that they had been living in the city with their families for the past four years.
The court found that the police failed to confirm the status of the complainants before initiating criminal action against Nagendra. It remarked that if such support were provided to illegal immigrants, they would “spread like mushrooms,” raising concerns about the functioning of the police department.
The bench also expressed worry over the alleged systematic support being given to illegal immigrants and instructed authorities to follow Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and initiate the process of repatriating illegal residents to their home countries.
The High Court directed officials to take appropriate action to identify and deport illegal immigrants. Additionally, it halted further proceedings on the FIR filed based on the complaints of the alleged illegal immigrants.
Notices were issued to the state government and the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), with the next hearing scheduled for August 6.
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