HC calls Maharashtra Police action against Karnataka firms unlawful

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has ruled that Maharashtra’s Vadgaon police acted unlawfully in seizing business records from a tobacco products firm’s office in Tumakuru and issuing notices summoning its representatives for questioning outside the police station’s jurisdiction.

Justice Suraj Govindaraj partly allowed petitions filed by Shiv Enterprises and others, challenging the actions of Maharashtra police. The court held that notices issued under Section 179 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) could not be used to compel persons outside the concerned police station’s territorial limits to appear in Vadgaon.

The matter originated in August 2025, when Maharashtra police intercepted a lorry transporting prohibited tobacco products on the Bengaluru-Pune highway and registered an FIR against certain individuals.

Following the incident, five to six personnel from Vadgaon police station visited the Tumakuru office of Shiv Enterprises and other establishments. Although the companies were not named in the FIR, the police questioned their representatives, issued notices to partners and recorded their statements.

The police also took possession of business documents, ledger books and copies from the premises. The companies subsequently approached the High Court, challenging the legality of the proceedings.

The court declared the seizure of the business records and ledger books illegal and directed that the seized ledgers be returned immediately.

It further instructed Vadgaon police to inform the jurisdictional Karnataka police station in writing before conducting any investigative operation within Karnataka in future.

However, the court did not accept the petitioners’ request to quash the FIR or completely prohibit the Maharashtra police from contacting them. The ruling provides relief against the specific notices and seizure while setting out safeguards for cross-border police investigations.

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