UNION OF INDIA Vs. R JAYACHANDRAN

JUDGEMENT

(1.) PRESENT batch of writ petitions has been filed challenging the orders of the Central Information Commission (for short 'CIC') whereby the petitioner -Ministry of External Affairs has been directed to provide copies of passports of third parties along with their birth certificates, educational qualifications and identity proofs. Since the reasoning of the CIC in all the impugned orders is identical, the relevant portion of the impugned order in W.P.(C) 3406/2012 is reproduced hereinbelow: -

(2.) DESPITE filing affidavit of service, none has appeared for the respondents today. Even yesterday, none had appeared for the respondents. Consequently, this Court has no other option but to proceed with the matter ex parte.

(3.) MR . Tiku fairly points out that in connected matters, i.e., W.P.(C) Nos. 2232/2012, 8932/2011, 3421/2012, 1263/2012, 1677/2012, 1794/2012, 2231/2012, a co -ordinate bench of this Court has directed the Ministry of External Affairs to give details of passport to third parties like passport number, date of its first issue, subsequent renewals, the name of police station from which verification had been done, nature of documents submitted with the passport application without disclosing the contents of those documents along with the information as to whether Visa was issued to the third party.