MOSCOW, October 30 - RAPSI. The Supreme Administrative Court of Rheinland Pfalz has prohibited police officers from checking the documents of passers-by based on their skin color, the Focus magazine reported on Tuesday.

The ruling was passed as part of a lawsuit filed by a German student in Kassel. In 2010, police officers attempted to check his documents to find out whether he was residing legally in Germany.

Eventually, a squabble ensued between the officers and the student, who later appeared before the court on charges of offending a police officer. During the trial, one of the officers said he was stopped for various reasons, including the color of his skin, as the officers assumed that he was an immigrant.

The student said the actions violated his rights and submitted a corresponding lawsuit to the court. The first instance court dismissed the case, ruling that the police can check the documents of passers-by who seem suspicious, including because of their looks, as part of their struggle with illegal immigration.

The student appealed the ruling in a higher court, which validated his claims. The officers apologized to the student during the consideration of the appeal in the Supreme Administrative Court of Rheinland Pfalz.

The magazine did not specify how the trial regarding the student offending the officers ended.