BALVINDER SINGH Vs. UNION OF INDIA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This Writ Petition is a checkered litigation. The factual matrix of the case is that petitioner is the Managing Director of PCH Group of Companies i.e. PCH Corporation Limited, PCH Lifestyle Limited and PCH Retail Limited. The said companies are engaged in the business of importing Electronics Goods like Laptops, Mobiles, Furniture and Consumer durables from various countries and to carry the business activities, petitioner he has to travel abroad.

(2.) Learned Senior Counsel Sri Prabhakar Sripada assisted by Sri Setty Ravi Teja, learned counsel for petitioner submits that while passing the impugned orders, respondents violated the Principles of Natural Justice. It is argued that the order of the 2nd respondent dtd. 18/11/2025 is perverse and mala fide as it appears to have been back-dated to get over the order of this Court in Writ Appeal No. 1283/2025 dtd. 19/11/2025. According to learned Senior Counsel, insistence of Respondents 2 and 3 for obtaining Courts' order/permission to depart from India is contrary to the order in Writ Petition No. 34399 of 2024 wherein petitioner was directed to submit an undertaking along with an affidavit before the Courts where the criminal cases are pending;

(3.) Respondents filed counter refuting the contentions of petitioner. It is stated, Rule 12 of the Passport Rules only states that an ordinary passport shall be in force for a period of ten years, which means that an ordinary passport cannot be issued beyond a period of 10 years, whereas petitioner's case is under the ambit of Ministry's Gazette Notification GSR 570(E) dtd. 25/8/1993. In view of Gazette Notification GSR 570(E) dtd. 25/8/1993 petitioner can get 10 years' validity passport only if he submits Court order of acquittal or an order specifying, the period of validity of ten years; otherwise only one year validity passport will be issued.