Telangana HC clears NOC grant to Minister for passport

The High Court, while hearing a writ petition filed by Minister Adluri Laxman, clarified that a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from trial courts is mandatory for passport issuance in cases involving pending criminal trials. The Court emphasised that an NOC only enables the grant of a passport and does not automatically allow foreign travel.

By Our Legal Correspondent

Hyderabad: Justice Nagesh Bheemapaka of the Telangana High Court has clarified that grant of an No Objection Certificate (NOC) is limited only for the purpose of obtaining a passport and does not automatically permit foreign travel, while dealing with a writ petition filed by Minister Adluri Laxman Kumar..

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The Court was hearing a plea filed by Adluri Laxman challenging the refusal of the Passport Authority to issue him a passport on the ground of multiple pending criminal cases. The authority relied on adverse police verification reports citing several cases under trial against him.

After hearing both sides, the Court observed that merely being an accused in criminal proceedings does not disentitle a person from obtaining a passport.

However, it reiterated the legal requirement that in such cases, the applicant must first secure a NOC from the concerned trial courts where the cases are pending.

Accordingly, the High Court directed the petitioner to approach the respective trial courts and seek NOCs. It further directed that upon submission of such NOCs, the Passport Authority shall consider issuance of the passport in accordance with law. Importantly, the Court made it clear that grant of an NOC is limited only for the purpose of obtaining a passport and does not automatically permit foreign travel.

If the petitioner intends to travel abroad, he must separately seek permission from the trial court, which would consider such a request on its own merits and impose appropriate conditions.