Passport will turn you from local to global criminal: Gujarat HC

AHMEDABAD: He carries baggage of no less than 40 FIRs in his name. So, when his plans to go abroad were grounded after his passport got impounded by authorities, Kalpesh Patel of Navsari decided to knock on Gujarat high court's doors for a new passport. Patel's lawyer argued that he had not been convicted in any of the cases so far. To this, the judge, on a lighter note, remarked: "Today, you are a local criminal. By virtue of the court order, you will become a global criminal."
According to case details, the 40-year-old had approached the HC seeking directions to the Regional Passport Officer (RPO) to issue him a new passport for a limited period. Authorities had impounded his earlier passport at the Delhi airport, where he was planning to fly abroad in 2021.
Authorities revealed that his passport had been confiscated because he had not disclosed the criminal offences against him while applying for the passport in 2017. This happened after Surat police informed RPO about pending charges against Patel.
Kalpesh Patel's advocate H R Prajapati submitted that the court could direct the RPO to issue a passport to Patel for a certain period. He cited a government circular issued in the 1990s, saying if a criminal case is pending against a citizen, passport authorities can still issue a passport for a limited period.
The lawyer submitted that Patel had not been convicted and got bail in all cases. He even went to the US once and returned. On being told that the petitioner faced criminal charges in 40 prohibition cases, Justice Nirzar Desai quipped that if the court got him a passport and let him to go abroad, he may become a bigger criminal.