The Bombay High Court has said that a minor cannot be deprived of her right to obtain a passport and travel abroad because of an ongoing marital dispute between her parents. The court passed this order on Wednesday, a copy of which was made available on Thursday. The court directed the Pune Regional Passport Office (RPO) to issue a passport to a 17-year-old girl within two weeks and said that the right to travel abroad is an aspect of the fundamental right guaranteed in the Constitution.

what is the matter

In fact, the RPO had sent a message to the girl's mother in November 2024, stating that the girl's passport application would not be processed as her father had objected to it. According to the petition, a divorce case is going on between the girl's parents. In response to the message from the passport office, the girl's mother told the passport office that the form did not have the father's consent as there is a marital dispute between the couple.

Student will go to Japan on study tour

In its judgment, the High Court said that the valuable constitutional right of the petitioner girl cannot be taken away from her on the basis of a mere message from her father refusing to give his No Objection Certificate (NOC). It said that the minor girl is living with her mother and is a promising student who has scored excellent marks in the 10th class examination. The High Court said that due to excellent performance, she has been selected to participate in a study tour of Japan organized by her school. The court said that in such a situation, the girl cannot be denied the right to obtain a passport.