Ms Gaurvika Tandon Minor Through Her Mother Ms Shilpa Tandon v. Union Of India Ministry Of External Affairs Psp Division Government Of India New Delhi Through Its
$~104 * IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI + W.P.(C) 12447/2025 MS GAURVIKA TANDON MINOR THROUGH HER MOTHER MS SHILPA TANDON .....Petitioner Through:
Petitioner in person (through v/c) versus UNION OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS PSP DIVISION GOVERNMENT OF INDIA NEW DELHI THROUGH ITS JOINT SECRETARY & ORS.
.....Respondents Through:
Ms. Nidhi Raman, CGSC, Mr. Arnav Mittal, GP, Inspector Anil Kumar, ASIO Ram Kumar Sharma and HC Vijay Pal.
CORAM:
HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE SACHIN DATTA % 19.08.2025
O R D E R
1.
The present petition has been filed by the petitioner, a twelve-year minor girl, represented by her mother and natural guardian, being aggrieved by the rejection of her passport application by the respondent no.2. 2.
It is submitted that the petitioner was born on 03.05.2013 and is a citizen of India by birth. It is further brought out that the petitioner has been in the exclusive care and custody of her mother since birth. The father of petitioner abandoned the petitioner and her mother in September, 2020. Since then, the petitioner has only lived with her mother. 3.
The petitioner's father filed a divorce case on 19.02.2015, registered as HMA 234/2015 before the Family Court at Saket. Admittedly, the said petition contains no prayer for custody of the petitioner. 4.
On 17.06.2025, the petitioner's mother applied for the petitioner's The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above.
passport under the 'Single Parent Category'. Thereafter, the local police visited for verification. However, on 30.07.2025, the petitioner's mother received an e-mail stating the police verification report was adverse. The said report contains the following remarks:
"Your Application is under review as an ADVERSE Police Verification Report has been received with the following remarks "Applicant residing her nanaji own house with her mother. Her mother divorce. She could not provided any documents her father. Hence her nationality could not ascertain. Rpo may be decide as per passport rule. Hence adverse". You are advised to furnish your response either in person by visiting this office with all original documents after booking online enquiry appointment available on our website www.passportindia.gov.in or via email to our e-mail id policy.rpodelhi@mea.gov.in within 30 days of receipt of this communication.
In case of no response within stipulated time period it would be presumed that you have no explanation to submit and your application will be closed as per the extant guidelines." 5.
Subsequently, the petitioner's mother lodged a complaint with the respondent no.3 i.e. the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Special Branch, New Delhi, however, no action was taken pursuant thereto. 6.
In the circumstances, the present petition has been filed seeking that the respondents be directed to issue passport on the application of the petitioner, i.e. Passport Application File No. DLF06588016825. 7.
Learned Standing Counsel for the respondents, who appears on advance notice, submits that she has instructions to the effect that if the mother of the petitioner were to visit the office of Regional Passport Office, Bhikaji Cama Place on any working day, the said office shall duly consider the request for issuance of the passport to the petitioner. The same shall be subject to an undertaking by the petitioner's mother that she will be solely The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above.
responsible if any legal repercussions arise in future regarding issuance of the passport to the minor applicant.
8.
Accordingly, the petitioner is directed to appear before the aforesaid passport office, whereupon the petitioner's application for grant of the passport shall be processed.
9.
Further, in view of the circumstances narrated in the petition, the same shall be done without being influenced by the adverse observations of the police verification report / objections referred to in Annexure P-5 of the present petition.
10.
Learned Standing Counsel for the respondent submits that the petitioner / her mother shall be required to furnish an ID Photo proof of the father of the petitioner. Let the mother of the petitioner provide the relevant ID card/identification details to the passport authorities, as referred to in the aforementioned petition filed by the petitioner's father in the Family Court, Saket.
11.
The respondents are directed to expeditiously process the application for grant of the passport to the petitioner in terms of the above directions. 12.
The petition is disposed of in the above terms. SACHIN DATTA, J AUGUST 19, 2025/cl The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above.