Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Mar 23: Police today informed the court that the department has completed the verification process of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and submitted it to passport authorities.
The Additional Director General of Police CID through his counsel today informed the court that the verification with regard to Mufti for issuance of her passport has been completed and submitted to Passport department however, the counsel appearing for the Passport department submitted before the court that the same report is yet to be received by the department.
In view of these submissions made by the counsel for these departments and after hearing the senior counsel Jehangir Ganie on behalf of petitioner Mufti, Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey kept the hearing of the case on March 29 in order to find out the actual position about the verification part of the petitioner.
People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has approached the High Court seeking direction on passport authorities and others to issue expeditiously the passport in her favour.
Advocate Ganai further submitted before the court that as per circular issued by Ministry of External Affairs Government of India, the passport of an individual is to be issued within 30 days but in the instant case, despite lapse of three months, passport has not been issued to the petitioner-Mufti.
As per the plea of Mufti, her passport was valid up to May 2019 as such she applied for issuance of passport before Regional Passport Officer, Srinagar on 11.12.2020 and the police verification has also been sought from Additional Director General of Police CID and Superintendent of Police Srinagar in this regard.
She added that the report as sought by the Passport Officer has not been submitted by the SSP Srinagar compelling her to file a representation requesting therein that the said verification report be submitted as per the guidelines issued by the Ministry of External Affairs Government of India at an earliest so that no delay is caused in issuance of passport in her favour.
It is further added by the petitioner-Mufti in her petition that despite the representation, the SSP concerned for known reasons till date has not forwarded the police verification report to the Passport Officer Srinagar and submits that the administrative delay is a facet of arbitrariness and against the rule of law.
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