SULTAN ALLAWUDEEN Vs. REGIONAL PASSPORT OFFICER

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Mr.R.Subramanian, learned Additional Central Government Standing Counsel accepts notice for the first respondent/Regional Passport Officer and Mr.R.Kishore Kumar, learned Government Advocate accepts notice for R2/Inspector of Police, E2 Royapettah Police Station, Chennai and both are armed with instructions to enable final disposal of this Writ Petition, even at the stage of admission.

(2.) The petitioner is holding passport bearing No.G6600268 with a validity of 10 years, i.e., till 11/12/2017. He had applied for re-issuance of the same in 2020, which application came to be rejected on account of the pendency of a criminal case in C.C.No.5311 of 2017 before the XVIII Metropolitan Magistrate, Saidapet, Chennai. The petitioner states that he had been acquitted in the matter on 16/12/2022. Anticipating that, he had sought re-issuance of passport yet again on 13/10/2022.

(3.) The petitioner had been asked to appear for an enquiry in connection with this allegation. The petitioner had received notices dtd. 12/12/2022 and 9/3/2023 from R1 asking him to appear before the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) Saligramam.