Authorities can’t insist on father’s name in passport: HC

New Delhi, Aug 22 (PTI) Passport authorities cannotinsist upon mentioning the name of an applicant’s father inthe travel document, the Delhi High Court said today. "There is no legal requirement for insisting upon thefather’s name in the passport," Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva saidwhile referring to an earlier judgement passed by the highcourt in May this year. "In view of the above, the respondents (Regional PassportOffice and others) are directed to issue a passport to thepetitioner without insisting upon father’s name," the courtsaid. The court said this while dealing with a petition filedby a youth, whose request for renewal of passport was rejectedby a Regional Passport Office here for not mentioning the nameof his biological father. The authorities had also cancelled his earlier passportwhich was valid till June 2017. The youth had contended before the court that a passportwas issued to him in June 2007 and he had applied for itsrenewal this year. He said that his mother had divorced his father in 2003on account of desertion and neglect. His counsel argued that his client is pursuing a courseat Melbourne in Australia which would be over in June nextyear. He said that since the passport was to expire before theconclusion of the course, his client had applied for issuanceof a fresh passport which was rejected by the authorities ashe had not mentioned his father’s name in the application. During the arguments, passport authority told the courtthat it was mandatory to give father’s name in the applicationsince its software does not accept applications without thefather’s name. They said that deletion of father’s name on the ground ofdivorce was not permissible unless the parents have legallydisowned the child. The court noted in its order that the youth’s father’sname was not mentioned even in the passport issued to himearlier. Regarding the contention of the passport authority thatthe computer would not accept application form without thefather’s name, the court said it may "modify" its softwareexpeditiously. The court directed the authorities to issue a passport tothe youth within three working days, considering that he hadapplied for it under the Tatkal scheme. PTI ABA HMP RKSARC