High Court · 2025

Srinivas Rao ChinthaPallY, S/o OiC. Aqricutture, R/o H'No 4- Jroan tVlanOat. Rajann Sircilla Purshotham Rao Chinthapally'aged 5q ye?lsl 4i, R ;;; R iolonv, Sankepallv' Vemulawada District. TG ...PETITIONER AND 1 2 The Union of lndia, Rep' by its Secretary Ministry of External Affairs CTV Divisicin, TV1 Section p,t'u'JiliilJ[ni'"*6 eo''"tnment of lndia New Delhi The Reoional Passport Officer, Ministry ofExternal Affairs' Office at H No'8-2- 214 to i19, Kummarguda SecunderaDao' J u ...RESPONDENTS Petition under Article 226 of lhe Constitution of lndia praying that in the circumstances stateo in in"e"afriO'"'t tif"O therewith' the High Court may be pleased to issue an appropriate ;;it,;'J;' or directions more oarticularly one in the nature of writ of Mandamus, O*irliig th"lciion of the resoondents more particularly the respondent tto.z nereinl in i..ring objections viie letter dated.o9l12l2O24 in the petitioner's q3t:qott application Number- reference to Hy 7 067 1 1 01 52SZq,oarca nit 1 I 2024 by mentionino shortcomings that -A Criminal "Police Verification Report the yo' petitioner as. per Case is pending 'g'intt applicant involved r" cr..,'uf iaiDbz+' i r'io'goral2o24 uls'324 r/w'34lPC LB Nagar, PDJ court preseni"si;;-PT "t illegal' arbitrary and false and without ,-proper verification .f -;;;;';;;ase -records-and contrary to the:well-settled-law-*--' .'- and atso amounts t ,i";i;;;ilrticies of consiitution oi lndia and principles of the petitioner is neither involved nor an natural justice and set L*i" tf'" same' 'as direct the respondents.more particularly accused in the said the respondent ruo.z to irru" n"* pJr.port in reference to the petitioner's passport "".1-rno "onilqubntly Number-HY706 7 I 1 01 52524' dated'12-'l 1'2024 forthwith "ppiiiriion -c IA NO 10F 2025 Petition under Sectir . the affidavit fited in supporr :.1:] c?9 praying that in the circumstances stated in m*jliri;li:1Tft #Jrfls:fli?:JHfl :i,11T3.',::mxi[flxr *+i vio i i r io1"r'I;i* d a ted 1 2 - 1 i - z o z + 6ii,,iri;: ffi'#,T, : 3:l':i I [J ,j" X#u Counsel for the petitioner: SRt. BETHT VENKATESWARLU " 3;xl,'#,1'lliffi ff 'J"'iltT:i,lf;ff""#IIARnEpRESENTNGFoRSRT.ADT The Court made the following: ORDER w { -l HON'BLE SRI JUSTICE C.V.BHASKAR REDDY WRIT PETITIO N No.17O60 oF 2025 oRDER: The Writ Petition is filed, under Articlb 226 of ttle Constitution oi India, seeking the following relief: '-'li'-ttt lZOz+ -by i" issuing otlecllo"" 'tdt "...pleased to issue an appropriate writ-'-9rde: or directions more or writ o[ Mandamus' declaring the puii"rir.rv orle in the actlon of the respondents more particularly the respondent No 2 lttttt dated..Og I 12 12024 it1 ;;.";, referencetothepetitioner,sPassPortapplicationNurnber rlentioning Ily7O671l}l52524 dated that "A Cnmulal Case is pending against you per I'olicc veiification Report"' the a-pphcant involved "tro.i.o-irig" ,"irii."t. "" in Cr. No 337/2O2a, c C No 3}ftl2021 U I 's.,324 r/rv 34 I P C' PT "as illegal" arbitrary and LB Nagar, PDJ Court pt""tttt "ttgt Ialse and u''itnout proper verificat]on of concerned case records to the rve-ll settled law and also amounts to violation ;;;";;;..y of Articles of Constitution of tndia and principles of natural is neither as the :""i-" "t-t:' involved not-an accused in the said case ant consequentl1' direct the respondents more particularly the respondent-No 2 to issue in ref"renc" to the petitioner's passlort application No.HY70671tO1 52524';la]ed l2'I1 2024 forthrvith and pass " ""*'p"'""p*, ."a set aside 1f't -petitioner

2. Considered the submissions of the learned counsel for the respective parties and with their consent' this writ petition is being disposed of at the admission stage' 3. Mr. Berhi Venkateshwarlu' learned counsel appearing for the petitioner has placed before this Court the case status information, wherein the petitioner's name was not arrayed as accused in C.C.No.3018 of 2024 on the file of the Court of the PDJ, L.B.Nagar. It ls stated that the respondents' without 2 CVBR, J W. P. N c . 17060 OF 2O2S propcrly verrfying the record, placed reliance on the police verificatlon report and rejected the application surmitted bv the petitioner. represen ting counscl

4. Ms. Archana, lcarned Sri Gadi Praveen Kumar, lcarned Deputy Solicitc.r Gcneral of India appcaring for respondent Nos.1 and 2, snb,rnits that the Crime number was mistakenly mentioned as 337 of 2024 instead of 257 of 20l g in the impugned rejectic,n order dated 09.12.2024. In fact, as per the informalion furrLished by the police, the petitioner was involved in Crimc Nc,.2157 of 201g under Sections 147, 3S3 ancl 341 read with t4!) of I.p.C. of vemula'"vada Town porice station and c.c.No.6!_r of 2o19 is pending on the iile of JFCM Court, Ve-ulawada. 5. Sincc the impugned rejection order, datec Og.12.2O24, _does nol ccintain the correct particulars of the pr:ndirlg cases and the rcjection of the application submitted by the petitioner is solely based on the crime registere<l in C.C.No..3Cr 1 g ctf 2024 to which the petitioner is not at all concerned nor he was arrayed as an accused, this Court is of the vielv theu_ the ends of justice u'ould be met if thc impugned rejection order dated 09.12.2024 is set aside by permitting the petitiont: - to make a fresh application by furnishing al1 the rcquired inlormation, in ) ..:,: 1 I \ I 3 CVBR, J W.P.No 17060 OF 2025 terms of the provisions of the Passports Act' 1967 artd' the Rules made thereunder' In the event of such application beinB submitted by the petitioner' respondent No'2- Reg'ional Passport Officer, Hyderabad is drrected to examine and consider t'he same in accordance with law duly taking into consideration various judgments passed by this Court and the Hon'ble Apex Court' wherein it is held that mere pendency of the criminal cases does not take away the right of the citizens for issuing passport' 6. Recording the said submissions ' this writ petition is 'disPosed of No Costs' Consequently' miscellaneous applications' if any' pending shall stand closed' s D /- AllLEfAfr //TRUE COPY// ?, HEbt[Ht[ s<\ SECNbN OFFICER to''r. -n" Secretary Ministrv of External Affairs 9TV'Division' ' i;;A,i'i;ie Gover'nment of lndia New Delhi 2.TheRegionalPassportOfficer'MinistrygfExternalAffairs'OfficeatHNo'8-2- 215lo r1g, Kummarguda Secunderabao' Ib TVl Section Patiala

3. One CC to SRl. BETHI VENKATESWARLU Advocate [OPUC] 4. one cc to sRl. GADI PRAVEEN KUMAR Deputy Solicitor General of lndia IoPUCI

5. Two CD CoPies KKS GJP HIGH COURT DATED;20 t}6t2o2s ORDER WP.No.17060 of 2O2S ( o A tl-r6 S o a * 1 6 ,/lL 2025 I> -:r^ c.' +':, ...1'_.\:.,/-.. --)-" DISPOSING THE WRIT PETITION WITHOUT COSTS