Representative Image Prayagraj: The Allahabad High Court has directed that all police verification reports for passport applications must be completed and submitted within four weeks. Disposing of a writ petition, a division bench of Justices Ajit Kumar and Swaroopama Chaturvedi on October 10 said that delay in this essential exercise hinders the realization of the right to travel, especially in cases where re-issue is sought only for one year.

The judges referred to the Citizens Charter (June 2025) issued by the Ministry of External Affairs while passing the order. The HC highlighted that while an ordinary passport must be issued within 30 working days and reissued within seven working days, both the timelines do not include the period taken for police verification.

This shows that the timeline required by the Ministry of External Affairs does not set any limit for the police verification stage, the bench said. In this background, the court stressed on the police department that it should ensure that all verification files related to passport applications are processed with due diligence and completed within four weeks without any delay.

“Any delay in such administrative actions should be strictly avoided unless justified by exceptional circumstances,” the HC said. The HC also issued important instructions for passport applicants, directing that if a candidate finds a delay in the disposal of his/her applications, he/she should first respond to the notice.

If they find that their passport application is pending due to involvement in a criminal case, they should first apply for necessary clearance/clearance/approval from the concerned court or criminal law court, as the case may be. The passport office should not delay processing, as the document may be urgent for the applicant.

The concerned Regional Passport Officer must inform the applicant within one month of the submission of the application in all circumstances where the passport cannot be issued. The HC said that as soon as appropriate, no objection/clearance/approval is received and submitted, the authorities have to dispose of the application within an additional period of one month.