Karnataka High Court Asks Centre to Rethink Short-Validity Passports for Citizens Facing Criminal Charges
· India · Indian Express, The Hindu
The Karnataka High Court has asked the Centre to consider extending the duration of short-validity passports issued to citizens facing criminal proceedings. Justice Suraj Govindaraj noted that many petitions are filed for passport renewals because short-validity passports are currently issued for only one year. The court pointed out that foreign countries issue visas only when a passport has a minimum of six months of validity remaining. The remarks came during the petition of Bengaluru resident Ajith Ranka, whose passport renewal application was rejected after criminal proceedings were initiated against him under IPC sections 498A, 341, and 354B. Ranka's counsel stated that the passport office previously renewed the document for one year following a high court order, and it is now due for a second renewal. The court partly allowed Ranka's plea while directing authorities to evaluate ground realities and formulate a policy for passport reissuance in pending criminal cases.
Why it matters
This decision directly impacts Indian citizens facing pending criminal charges who need to travel abroad for work or personal reasons by addressing visa rejections caused by excessively short passport validity periods.
Read the original report — Indian Express
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