The Karnataka High Court has stayed a deportation order issued by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), Bengaluru, against a man detained as an alleged Bangladeshi national after he claimed that he is an Indian citizen by birth and a victim of mistaken identity.
According to The Indian Express, Justice Suraj Govindaraj directed the FRRO to verify the identity of Abdul Rahim and ascertain whether he is the same individual who was convicted by a sessions court in Uttar Pradesh in a case alleging illegal entry from Bangladesh. The conviction is currently under challenge before the Allahabad High Court.
In an interim order, the copy of which is yet to be made available, the court restrained the authorities from deporting Rahim until the next date of hearing, fixed for July 14. The court also directed the FRRO to obtain instructions regarding the pending proceedings before the Allahabad High Court and determine whether those proceedings relate to the same person against whom the present deportation order has been passed.
Detained during verification drive
As reported by Indian Express, Rahim stated in his petition that he was born on April 14, 1979, in New Seemapuri, Delhi, and has lived and worked in India throughout his life. He was detained on March 5, 2026, by the Parappana Agrahara police during a drive to identify suspected undocumented Bangladeshi migrants and was subsequently handed over to the FRRO.
On the same day, the FRRO passed an order under Section 7(2)(f) of the Foreigners Act, 2025, read with Paragraph 8 of the Immigration and Foreigners Order, restricting his movement and directing that he reside at the Utile Foundation detention centre in Kothanur, Bengaluru. The FRRO order identified him as “Md. Rahim Howladar, son of Md. Motaleb Howladar,” and proceeded on the assumption that he was a foreign national.
Citizenship documents produced before court
Appearing for Rahim, advocate Clifton D. Rozario argued that his client is an Indian citizen by birth and produced several public documents, including a birth certificate, passport, voter identity card, Aadhaar card, PAN card, driving licence and records relating to his family members.
The petition contended that the detention order was passed without notice, without an opportunity of hearing and without any meaningful inquiry into his citizenship status. It alleged violations of Articles 14, 15, 21 and 22 of the Constitution and stated that the detention had disrupted Rahim’s livelihood and caused hardship to his wife and infant child.
Connection to Uttar Pradesh conviction
The case has an additional layer of complexity because Rahim was convicted in 2012 by an Additional District and Sessions Judge in Ghaziabad under Section 14A(b) of the Foreigners Act, 1946, for allegedly entering and residing in India without valid documents. In that case, he was identified as “Abdul Rahim, son of Shah Jamal, resident of Bagerhat, Bangladesh.”
According to the petition, Indian Express reported, the conviction was largely based on the statutory burden under the Foreigners Act requiring the accused to establish citizenship, and on the finding that the documents produced were not satisfactory. Rahim appealed the conviction before the Allahabad High Court in 2012, where the appeal was admitted and he was granted bail. The appeal remains pending.
Rozario argued that the present detention and deportation proceedings amount to double jeopardy, prohibited under Article 20 of the Constitution, which protects individuals from being prosecuted and punished more than once for the same offence.
Business and family life in Bengaluru
Rahim told the court that he moved from Delhi to Bengaluru in 2014 and established a waste management and scrap trading business through a government-registered proprietorship. He also holds a GST registration certificate issued under the Karnataka Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017.
As reported by Times of India, he argued that he has built his family and economic life in Bengaluru and that the deportation proceedings were initiated without even issuing him a prior notice.
Court seeks identity verification before deportation
Observing that the petition raises issues requiring factual verification, the Karnataka High Court directed the FRRO to ascertain Rahim’s identity before taking any coercive action. The court’s interim protection will remain in force until the matter is heard again on July 14.
According to the report of Scroll, the petition seeks quashing of the FRRO order and Rahim’s release from custody, while the court’s immediate focus remains on determining whether the detainee is indeed the same person involved in the pending Uttar Pradesh proceedings and whether the deportation order has been issued against the correct individual.
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