Calcutta High Court (Appellete Side)
Bapi Mondal vs The Joint Secretary And Chief Passport on 15 January, 2024
D/L. 29.
January 15, 2024.
MNS.
WPA No. 27141 of 2023
Bapi Mondal
Vs.
The Joint Secretary and Chief Passport
Officer and others
Mr. Sanjit Dutta
... for the petitioner.
Sk. Md. Galib,
Mr. Safik Dewan
...for the State.
1. The petitioner holds a passport. A show
cause notice was issued for
impounding/revocation of the said passport.
The petitioner gave reply to the proceeding in
terms of the show cause notice. However, till
date no hearing has been given to the
petitioner.
2. Affidavit-of-service filed in Court today be kept
on record.
3. Despite service, none appears for the
Passport Authorities, although the State is
represented through counsel.
4. WPA No. 27141 of 2023 is disposed of by
directing the respondent no. 2, that is, the
Regional Passport Officer, Kolkata, to give an 2 opportunity of hearing to the petitioner and thereafter to take a decision on the proposed revocation/annulment of the passport of the petitioner.
5. It is expected that such exercise will be completed at the earliest, preferably within four weeks from the date of communication of this order to the respondent no. 2.
6. Till the petitioner is heard, the passport of the petitioner shall not be revoked / impounded unless the same has already been revoked / impounded prior to this order.
7. If the passport of the petitioner has already been revoked / impounded in the meantime, it will be open to the petitioner to prefer an appropriate challenge against the same without being prejudiced in any manner by any of the observations made in this order.
8. There will be no order as to costs.
9. Urgent photostat certified copies of this order, if applied for, be made available to the parties upon compliance with the requisite formalities.
(Sabyasachi Bhattacharyya, J.)