A Delhi court on Friday granted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi a no-objection certificate (NOC) for issuance of an “ordinary passport" for three years.
“I’m partly allowing your application. Not for 10 years but three years," the judge told Gandhi’s lawyer. Gandhi had moved the court after he surrendered his diplomatic passport upon his disqualification as an MP.
The move had come after the Congress leader was convicted in a criminal defamation case by a Surat court over his remark about the surname “Modi."
Senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy had opposed the plea moved by Gandhi, saying that if the former MP is allowed to travel abroad, it may hamper the ongoing probe. The former Congress chief is an accused in the National Herald case in which Swamy is the complainant.
Gandhi has applied for a new passport for his upcoming visit to the United States on June 4, where he is expected to address a public rally at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
His week-long will conclude with a talk at Stanford University. It will be his first public rally in the US. The former Wayanad MP will also meet politicians and entrepreneurs as a part of his visit to the States.
Gandhi’s tour comes weeks before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit on June 22. According to reports, US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will host PM Modi at a state dinner at the White House during the course of this visit.
(details to follow)