The Goa Regional Passport Officer has issued Adv. Aires Rodrigues a Passport. Adv. Rodrigues after sending various reminders to the Passport office had last month through a Writ Petition moved the Bombay High Court at Goa over the failure to issue him a passport despite his application being pending from 12th February 2016.
Adv. Rodrigues in his petition pointed out that the then Superintendent of Police, Special Branch Priyanka Kashyap in her report to the Passport officer on 18th May 2016 had recommended the issue of the Passport as no criminal case was pending trial against him.
Adv. Rodrigues in his petition had stated that refusal of the passport was violative of his fundamental rights under Articles 14,19 and 21 of the Constitution and the law laid down by the Supreme Court in Maneka Gandhi’s case where the right to travel abroad was included within the confines of right to personal liberty.
Adv. Rodrigues had also submitted that he was not issued a passport due to the pressure exerted by the political masters in the ruling government.
When the matter came up for hearing on March 2nd the Advocate appearing for the Union of India informed the Court that Adv. Rodrigues would be issued a Passport within two weeks.
Meanwhile, stating that he has received his passport today after a long wait of over four years, Adv. Rodrigues has stated that now with the outbreak of Covid-19 globally he may not be able to travel anywhere soon but hopes to first visit Jerusalem as soon as the situation normalizes.
