Punjab and Haryana High Court: Can include biological mother’s name in passport

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 20

The Punjab and Haryana HC has made it clear that passport manual merely contained guidelines and alterations could be made in a passport at a subsequent stage even though the manual said a child had the option to change the particulars while applying for passport after attaining maturity.

Justice BS Walia also directed the Regional Passport Officer to process an applicant’s request and issue a fresh passport reflecting her biological mother’s name instead of her stepmother. For the purpose, Justice Walia set 10-day deadline.

The applicant had moved the HC against the Union Government and other respondents for the issuance of a fresh passport. Among other things, she stated that her biological mother’s name was mentioned in the birth certificate, educational certificates and Aadhaar card.

The Bench was told that the petitioner-applicant’s biological mother expired in May 2002, after which her father remarried. The passport was issued to the petitioner in July 2004, reflecting her stepmother’s name after her father applied for the same on her behalf.

The petitioner’s counsel submitted that the petitioner was only seeking incorporation of her biological mother’s name instead of the stepmother to avoid difficulty during travel or in studies abroad.

Justice Walia asserted her biological mother’s name was mentioned in other documents, and prejudice would not be caused to either of the parties in the eventuality of her biological mother’s name being mentioned in the passport.