Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Dec 8: High Court today directed the Chief Passport Officer (CPO) to decide the appeal filed by wife of former Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayed and mother of PDP patron Mehbooba Mufti against the refusal of issuance of Passport within two weeks and file the reply to the plea by or before next date.
Justice Sanjeev Kumar directed the Chief Passport Officer, Ministry of External Affairs New Delhi to decide the statutory appeal filed by Gulshan Nazir against the refusal of issuing passport in her favour.
Court has issued notice to the respondents which include Commissioner Secretary to Home Department, Additional Director General of Police, CID, J&K, Senior Superintendent of Police, Srinagar for filing of objections to the plea. The notice was accepted by advocate Tahir Shamsi (ASGI) on behalf of the respondents- Ministry of External Affairs, Chief Passport Officer and Passport Officer Srinagar.
It is in April this year that the High Court while deciding the earlier appeal filed against the writ court order and judgment had asked her to approach the appropriate authority (Chief Passport Officer) for direction of issuance of passport in her favour and said authority was directed to decide her claim for passport in tune with the rules and regulations.
The appeal preferred by the petitioner-Nazir was against the judgment passed writ court whereby her plea was dismissed citing that there is no reason to interfere with the course of action as adopted by the authorities submitting the Police Verification Report (PVR).
Court on receipt of the appeal by the concerned authority, had directed the said authority to consider and decide the same on its merits, strictly under rules, regulations and the provisions of the Act, that too un-influenced by the observations made in the writ court judgment.
Senior Counsel Jehangir Iqbal Ganaie while arguing the matter today on behalf of petitioner submitted that it is inaction on part of the Chief Passport Officer by not deciding the statutory appeal filed by the petitioner against the order of Passport Officer Srinagar refusing to issue passport to the petitioner as communicated on March 26.
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