Decide Mehbooba Mufti application for renewal of passport within three months: Delhi High Court to passport officer

The Delhi High Court on Friday ordered the Regional Passport Officer in Srinagar to decide the passport renewal application of People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti within three months..Justice Prathiba M Singh noted that the matter has been pending for nearly two years. “Considering that the matter has been remanded to the passport officer and the initial rejection was almost two years ago, let the concerned passport office take the decision expeditiously and in any case in three months,” the Court ordered..The order was passed after the Court was informed today by Central Government Standing Counsel (CGSC) Kirtiman Singh that the passport authority in Srinagar has been directed to re-examine and take a fresh decision on Mufti's application..Mufti had approached the Delhi High Court seeking an early decision in her appeal against the order denying her passport renewal. She said that her passport was cancelled on March 26, 2021 and though she approached the Jammu & Kashmir High Court against the decision, she was later informed that an appeal against the order would lie under the Passports Act.The appeal was filed in April 2021. However, despite repeated reminders, no decision was taken on the issue..According to reports, Mufti recently also wrote to Union Minister for External Affairs, S Jaishankar seeking his intervention for issuance of her passport and that of her mother's.The former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister said that she wants to take her mother on a pilgrimage to Mecca, but has not been able to do so because of “petty politics”.She further said that she had approached the Passport Authority of India many times since 2021, but had received no help."In J&K it has become the norm to arbitrarily reject the passport applications of thousands, including students, journalists and others, by misusing national interest as a pretext," Mufti said in her letter.