Karnataka High Court Rebukes West Bengal Government for Delaying Citizenship Review of Detained Driver

The Karnataka High Court on Monday strongly criticised the West Bengal government for repeatedly seeking more time to verify the citizenship documents of a school bus driver who was detained in Bengaluru last year on suspicion of being an illegal Bangladeshi immigrant.

Rafikul Biswas, 32, a resident of Nadia district in West Bengal, was arrested in September last year by Bengaluru police based on documents purportedly showing him as a Bangladeshi national. He was later released on medical grounds after suffering two heart attacks during detention.

Biswas has moved the High Court seeking to quash the detention order passed by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO). He has provided official records, including a fresh voter ID card issued after the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, and reports from the Superintendent of Police and Block Development Officer of Nadia confirming his Indian citizenship.

Despite this, the West Bengal government's counsel has been seeking adjournments since June to obtain fresh instructions from new authorities. On Monday, Justice Suraj Govindaraj expressed strong displeasure, orally observing, "How many times do you need time? Not fair. You are wasting the court's time and everybody's time."

Counsel for Biswas, Advocate Clifton D Rozario, argued that the citizenship of an individual cannot depend on the political leadership in a state. He submitted that the West Bengal government had already filed reports from two agencies confirming Biswas's citizenship.

The Deputy Solicitor General appearing for the FRRO noted that if Biswas had received a voter ID after the SIR process, the matter was effectively resolved. The court directed all parties to file necessary documents and scheduled the next hearing for July 23, warning that no further adjournments would be granted.