ASHOK MUTHANA Vs. THE REGIONAL PASSPORT OFFICER

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioner has come up with the above writ petition challenging the proceedings of the first Respondent refusing to re-issue the passport.

(2.) The petitioner was the Ex-Chairman of a non-banking Finance Company which went into liquidation. Lot of Criminal Complaints came to be filed on the file of the Economic Offences Wing. The petitioner was arrested in Crime No.1 of 2001 and was later released on bail by this Court. As one of the conditions for the grant of bail, his passport had to be surrendered to the court of the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kumbakonam. However, this Court, by order dated 20.12.2004 passed in Crl.M.P.No.11297 of 2004 directed the return of the passport for renewal and also permitted the petitioner to travel to USA during the period from June 2005 to July 2005.

(3.) But when the petitioner submitted an application for extension of the validity of the passport, which was to expire on 17.02.2005, the Regional Passport Office directed the petitioner to obtain orders of this Court. Therefore, the petitioner filed a writ petition in W.P.No.24158 of 2006 for the issue of a writ of mandamus to direct the Regional Passport Officer to extend the validity of the passport beyond 17.02.2005.