New Delhi:
The Mumbai Police today was castigated by the Supreme Court in a case of extortion that it had registered against three citizens of Uganda including a parliamentarian.
The court cancelled the FIR or case against them and said, "Our country gets a bad name because of the acts of a few police officers and it is unfortunate. Bombay Police instead of protecting the rights of these foreign nationals filed an FIR against them and the charges are baseless."
The police was ordered to release the passports of the Ugandans immediately and said that "Article 21 of the Constitution-right to liberty and life - applies to all citizens whether Indian or foreign nationals."
The three Ugandans - an MP, an advocate and a businessman - had been charged with extortion on the basis of a complaint by an Indian firm.
Their lawyer said that when they arrived in India to settle the business dispute, their passports were taken away.