Give details of steps taken to clear illegal immigrants from city, Karnataka High Court directs Bengaluru police

Observing that the reported presence of a large number illegal immigrants in Bengaluru city and other parts of the State is a national security issue, the High Court of Karnataka has directed the city police to give details about steps taken for clearing illegal immigrants.

Justice M. Nagaprasanna issued the direction in his February 4 interim order while staying one of the two criminal cases registered against Puneeth Kerehalli, a self-proclaimed activist, in connection with his acts of entering various places, including private lands, where illegal immigrants were allegedly residing.

Orally questioning what was wrong if any person tried to identify illegal immigrants and wanted the police to take action, the court stayed a First Information Report (FIR) registered suo motu by the police on the petitioner’s conduct of entering the some places in the city where alleged illegal immigrants, said to be from Bangladesh, were residing.

The court orally told the Additional State Public Prosecutor B.N. Jagadheesha that illegal immigration posed a threat to national security irrespective of the country of such illegal immigrants.

However, the court did not stay the investigation on another FIR registered based on a complaint lodged by Karibasappa, owner of a private property, who alleged that the petitioner had trespassed into his property and assaulted certain persons in the guise of enquiring about alleged illegal immigrants residing there.

The court has only asked the police not to take coercive step against the petitioner in this case while directing the police to produce the video footage of the alleged incident after Mr. Jagadeesha told the court that there were video recordings on the alleged act of assault by the petitioner.

Earlier, advocate for the petitioner, Venkatesh P. Dalwai contended that instead of acting against the illegal immigrants, the police were registering FIRs against the petitioner, who was intimating the police about locations where such immigrants were residing. Petitioner’s counsel also told the court that media reports indicate that there are nearly 20 lakh illegal immigrants in Karnataka.

However, Mr. Jagadeesha said that the State authorities were acting against illegal immigrants and many of them had been sent to foreigners’ detention centre for deporting them to their country of origin by the authorities of the Union government.