Kangana Ranaut's passport renewal application will be considered expeditiously: Regional Passport Authority to Bombay High Court

The Regional Passport Authority, Mumbai assured the Bombay High Court on Monday that passport renewal application of Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut will be considered as expeditiously as possible (Kangana Ranaut v. State of Maharashtra & Ors.)

The assurance came on a statement by Ranaut that there are no criminal cases pending against Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, except for two First Information Reports (FIRs), one registered against her in connection with her tweets which allegedly promoted religious enmity and the second pertaining to the copyright infringement.

Ranaut had moved the High Court on the ground that the passport authority was raising objection to the renewal of her passport due to expire in September, 2021 due to FIR registered against her by the Bandra Police for her tweets.

The urgency to approach High Court was that she was required to travel to Budapest in Hungary from mid-June to August 2021 for shooting of a film in which she had been cast as the lead actress.

Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, appearing for the Regional Passport Authority, submitted that the application for renewing passport did not mention correct facts.

It stated that "criminal cases" were pending against Ranaut, when in fact only "FIRs" were registered.

He added that in case Ranaut's lawyer Advocate Rizwan Siddiquee makes a statement that no criminal case is pending against Ranaut, and makes appropriate corrections in the pending passport renewal application, the Regional Passport Authority will consider the application in accordance with rules expeditiously.

When Siddiquee submitted that "no criminal cases are pending against the petitioner in any Court arising out of two FIRs impugned in the application", ASG Singh submitted that the application will be decided expeditiously.

A Special Bench of Justices SS Shinde and Revati Mohite Dere recorded these statements of the counsel and disposed of the interim applications filed by Ranaut pertaining to the passport renewal.

The application was filed in the plea challenging an order of the Metropolitan Magistrate at Bandra directing the Bandra police to initiate investigation into a complaint filed by one Munnawarali Sayyed filed over allegedly hateful tweets by Ranaut.

In an earlier hearing, the Court had directed Ranaut to amend the application to add the requisite officials from the Passport Organisation as parties to the case in order to enable them to file their responses.

Thereafter the Court had directed Siddiquee to move the Chief Justice on the administrative side to constitute a special bench for hearing the application.

Accordingl,y an application was moved and the matter was placed before the special bench.

[Read order]