₹25k costs Imposes on Passport Officer for rejecting application by divorced single mother to renew daughter's passport

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The Kerala High Court recently imposed costs of ₹25,000 on a passport officer for compelling a divorced woman to resort to litigation for the re-issuance of her minor daughter's passport

"The officers at the helm of affairs exercising the powers for issuing the passport are supposed to deal with the application in a pragmatic and reasonable manner, but should not reject the application in the manner and mode as extracted above. Knowing fully well that this Court would have expressed concern with regard to the spate of litigation and may come down heavily on the action of the respondents, in anticipation of that processed the application of the petitioner, but for redressal of the grievance, is impelled to shell out litigation expenses."