Police verification for passports must be completed within four weeks: Allahabad High Court

The Allahabad High Court has directed that all police verification reports linked to passport applications must be completed and submitted within four weeks, stressing that administrative delays cannot come in the way of a citizen’s right to travel. The directive was issued by a division bench of Justice Ajit Kumar and Justice Swarupama Chaturvedi while hearing a petition filed by Rahimuddin, who had challenged delays in passport processing.

The court observed that delays in police verification create obstacles to the right to travel, calling for greater accountability in administrative procedures. Referring to the Ministry of External Affairs’ Citizen’s Charter (June 2025), the bench noted that while an ordinary passport is to be issued within 30 working days and reissued within seven working days, these timelines exclude the duration taken for police verification.

“The MEA’s expected timeline does not stipulate any limit for the police verification stage,” the court remarked. It instructed the police department to ensure that all verification files related to passport applications are processed with due diligence and completed within four weeks, in line with the time frame prescribed by the MEA.

The bench stated, “Any delay in such administrative functions should be strictly avoided unless justified by exceptional circumstances. Delay in police verification, which is an essential exercise for an accused, is creating a hurdle in realisation of the right to travel, especially in cases where reissuance of the passport is for a duration of one year.”

To streamline the passport issuance process, the court directed that applicants facing delays must first respond to any notices received. In cases where the delay is due to pending criminal proceedings, applicants should obtain the required no-objection, sanction, or approval from the concerned court.

The court further instructed that passport offices should not delay the processing of applications, especially in urgent cases. The Regional Passport Officer must inform applicants within a month if a passport cannot be issued. Once the necessary approvals are submitted, the application should be disposed of within a further month.

Reiterating its directive, the court made it clear that police authorities must submit their verification reports within four weeks without undue delay.