Representational picture of the Indian passport. Picture Credit score: Getty Photographs
Allahabad Excessive Courtroom, in an order, has directed that each one police verification studies for passport purposes have to be accomplished and submitted inside 4 weeks.
A two-judge bench, comprising Justice Ajit Kumar and Justice Swarupama Chaturvedi, handed the above course, listening to a writ petition filed by one Rahimuddin and noticed that the passport delay is a hurdle to the fitting to journey.
The bench referred to the Citizen’s Constitution (June 2025) issued by the Ministry of Exterior Affairs (MEA). The court docket highlighted that whereas an odd passport is predicted to be issued inside 30 working days and reissued inside seven working days, each timelines exclude the interval taken for police verification.
“This reveals that the MEA’s anticipated timeline doesn’t stipulate any restrict for the police verification stage,” added the court docket.
In opposition to this backdrop, the court docket emphasised that the police division shall make sure that all verification recordsdata pertaining to passport purposes are processed with due diligence and accomplished inside 4 weeks with out undue delay (as per the time frame prescribed by the Ministry of Exterior Affairs).
“Any delay in such administrative features ought to be strictly averted except justified by distinctive circumstances. Delaying in police verification, which is an important train for an accused, is making a hurdle in realization of the fitting to journey, particularly in instances the place reissuance of the passport is for a length of 1 yr”, the court docket additional remarked.
Apply for ‘no objection’
In its order to streamline the whole means of issuance of a passport, the court docket directed that if a candidate finds the disposal of their purposes to be delayed, she or he ought to first reply to the discover. In the event that they discover that their software for a passport has remained pending because of their implication in a prison case, they need to first apply for the required no objection/sanction/approval from the court docket involved or the prison regulation court docket, because the case could also be.
The passport workplace must also not linger on their issues, as there could also be an urgency for a passport applicant.
The involved Regional Passport Officer, in all circumstances the place a passport can’t be issued, should inform the applicant relating to it inside a month of submission of the passport software.
As quickly as correct, no objection/sanction/approval is obtained and submitted, such officer ought to get rid of the passport software lastly inside an additional interval of a month, the court docket added.
Nevertheless, the court docket made it clear that the police, in instances of purposes submitted for passports, should submit their report inside 4 weeks with out undue delay.
Revealed – November 11, 2025 10:32 am IST