The High Court of Karnataka on Friday directed a person who has filed PIL petitions to submit an affidavit disclosing his activities and details of whether there are any criminal cases registered against him.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice H.T. Narendra Prasad issued the direction to H.M. Farooq, who claims to be the founder-trustee of the Anti-Corruption Council of India, a registered trust.
The Bench issued the direction during the hearing of a PIL petition filed by Mr. Farooq through the trust, seeking directions to the State government and the police to implement the directions of the Supreme Court on custodial torture, installing CCTV cameras in all police stations and prisons, and the monitoring of such footage by a judicial magistrate, among other things.
However, the government counsel informed the Bench that some criminal cases were registered against Mr. Farooq. The counsel submitted a file on the petitioner, prepared by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the Intelligence Wing.
After going through the file, the Bench directed that it be kept in a sealed cover under the custody of the court. It also directed the petitioner to disclose his activities and particulars of criminal cases, if any, registered against him.
